Sports climber eyes chance at Tokyo Games

While preparing to watch the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics at home, sports climber Zhong Qixin found that he had a chance to compete at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

Sports climbing, together with baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding and surfing, were approved by the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday for inclusion in the Tokyo Games.

Because of Zhong's ability, his sport is considered a medal opportunity for China in the Japanese capital.

”I'm very glad and excited to learn this news,” Zhong told China Daily on Thursday. ”As an athlete, competing at the Olympic Games is the ultimate goal.”

Zhong, 27, from Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, started to train for sports climbing in 2005 and has won more than 20 international gold medals in the speed category.

He made history last year by winning the overall title in the World Cup Series, becoming the first Asian athlete to achieve this and breaking the domination of Western countries. He now captains China's climbing team.

”The overall strength of the Chinese climbing team is not as good as that in Europe,” Zhong said. ”If we want good results at the Olympics, we have to put much more effort into training.”

Sports climbing has risen in popularity in China in recent years, especially among young people.

The IOC said in a statement that including sports climbing in the Olympics marks a historic step in bringing the Games to young people and also reflects the trend of sports urbanization.

IOC President Thomas Bach said the aim is to take sport to young people.

”With the many options that young people have, we cannot expect any more that they will come automatically to us. We have to go to them,” he said.

Li Zhixin, vice-president of the International Federation of Sport Climbing and head of the sport in China, said, ”Being listed as an Olympic sport offers a good chance for sport climbing in China.

”Being in an Olympic program can gain the sport more support from sports authorities as well as entrepreneurs.”

Baseball and softball have both featured in previous Olympics, most recently in 2008. The Chinese women's softball team won the silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and finished in fourth place four years later at the Sydney Games.