With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics just around the corner, everyone should be aware of the new sports they will see in this year’s Summer Olympics. In addition to sport climbing and surfing, the International Olympic Committee announced that the 2020 games  will feature the sport of karate as well.

According to the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, the fight to include karate in the Olympics dates back to the 1970s.

Karate is one of the most well-known martial arts. The Encyclopedia Britannica traces its roots back to East Asia; it eventually became systemized in Okinawa in the 17th century before being imported to Japan in the 1920s. Karate’s rich history and intense competitive nature has landed the sport a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The program will include both men’s and women’s competitions.

The sport of karate is mainly characterized by the arts of striking, kicking and punching. The competition will entail two main disciplines which include kata (forms) and kumite (sparring).

According to the International Olympic Committee, at the 2020 Games there will be separate men’s and women’s kata competitions with three medal winners and three separate men’s and women’s kumite competitions, each with three medal winners and a different weight category.

The kata contest involves the demonstration of different offensive and defensive forms. The athletes will choose from 102 kata movements that are recognized by the World Karate Federation to demonstrate in front of a panel of judges. They will be assessed based on strength, speed, rhythm, balance and power of strikes and kicks, the solidity, clarity and force of movements and the proper expression of the meaning of each technique with beautiful, flowing motion. Eventually each competitor will be given a score, with the top three athletes winning the gold, silver and bronze medals.

The kumite competition involves two athletes facing off in a matted competition area that measures 8m x 8m. The competitors will attempt to land a series of blows on their opponent’s body, being judged for precision and energy. Each strike has the potential to earn between one and three points. The athletes have three minutes to attack, and they can win the contest by earning eight points before the three minutes are up. If the competitors score the same amount of points, the person who scored the first point is the determined winner.

Make sure to tune in when karate makes its debut as an Olympic sport on Aug. 6, 2020.