The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are scheduled to take place in the Japanese capital between July 23 and August 8 amid a state of emergency. The quadrennial international multi-sport event will feature a record 33 competitions and 339 events held across 42 competition venues. There are six sports that will be joining the programme for the Tokyo Olympics, four of which will be making their Olympic debuts. Let's take a closer look at the format and rules for all the new sports added to the Tokyo Olympics:

Karate, the traditional martial arts of Japan, will make its Olympics debut in Tokyo. The sport, which gained popularity in Japan in the 1920s and later spread around the world, was inducted in the Olympic roster because of its rich history and popularity in the country. The competition will be held in three weight classes for both men and women at the Nippon Budokan. There are two disciplines that will be featured at this year's Olympics: kata and kumite. Kata is the demonstration discipline where athletes are judged on karate techniques. Kumite is the fighting discipline where karatekas will take on each other.

Surfing is another action-packed adventure sport that will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo. The competition will be held in both men's and women's categories, featuring preliminary heats followed by head-to-head knockout rounds. The surfers will be judged on the complexity of their manoeuvres, and how well they handle large waves. Wave height and direction, the strength of the wind, and several other factors dictate whether a surf competition can run, and because these conditions can change drastically, the events need to be just as flexible. The competitions will be held at Tsurigasaki Beach, roughly 100km away from the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, from July 24 to 31.

Sport climbing in Tokyo will be contested as a single event, with all three of the sport’s main disciplines (speed, bouldering, lead) being used in a combined format to determine an overall winner.

A sport which combines strength, strategy, flexibility, power, endurance, and finger strength, it will see the athletes climbing up a wall dotted with the usual holds of different shapes and sizes. The only equipment permitted is safety ropes in some instances. Athletes primarily rely on their shoes and bare hands to get to the top. All events will take place at the Aomi Urban Sports Park in Tokyo.

Baseball and softball are also set to make their return to the Olympic programme in the Tokyo Games. Baseball and softball made their debut at the 1992 Barcelona Games and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics respectively. They remained part of the showpiece till the 2008 edition in Beijing before being dropped from the programme. While baseball is competed among men, softball is a women-only event. Both baseball and softball competitions will be contested among six countries - hosts Japan, Australia, Italy, USA, Mexico and Canada. They will play in a round-robin format, with every team playing five games at Yokohama Stadium in Fukushima. The top two teams will advance to the gold medal game.