Paris Olympics: no karate at 2024 Games but Grace Lau focused on making it to Tokyo 2020
- Martial art misses out while surfing, skateboarding, climbing and breakdancing included
- Organisers say new additions will make Paris Games “more urban” and “more artistic”
Karate exponent Grace Lau Mo-sheung’s commitment to next year’s Tokyo Olympics will not be affected despite the absence of her sport from the 2024 Paris Games.
The martial art is one of the five new medal programmes for Tokyo but French organisers have kept only three of them for the 2024 version, while including climbing, skateboarding and surfing. Baseball and softball were also overlooked and were not on the list proposed to the International Olympic Committee for ratification next year.
A new sport on the list is breakdancing, which saw huge success at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.
“My focus is only on Tokyo at the moment and I won’t consider anything beyond that,” said Lau, who won a bronze medal in the women’s kata at last year’s Asian Games.
“Qualification for Tokyo is already a big challenge and I have to keep my best form all the way in order to make it.”