American football, karate apply for inclusion in 2020 Toyko Olympics

26 sports, including American football and karate, apply for inclusion on charter in 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo

Organizers for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Toyko released a list of 26 sports, including American football, billiards, tug of war and karate, that have applied to be on the Olympic charter.

Cities that host Olympic games can ask to add one or more sports for their games. Each international federation had until June 8 to summit applications to be considered.

The Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee will announce a shortlist of candidates on June 22, and finalists will make a presentation in August.

"We would like to see in the proposals also an event or events which are attractive to youth in particular," IOC President Thomas Bach said, according to the Associated Press. "We think that this would be a win-win situation. It would give Japan the great opportunity to present itself to the world as a youthful nation looking to the future embracing youth and other cultures."

The IOC will make final decisions in August 2016, when it meets ahead of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Some other sports that applied for inclusion are chess, dance sport, floorball, sumo, polo, racquetball and bowling.

"I am confident that this call for youth in the Olympic Agenda 2020 will be reflected in the proposal we are going to receive in September," Bach said, according to the AP.

Baseball and softball, which were both dropped after the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, are also up for consideration to be brought back after applying to be included in the games earlier this week.

- Scooby Axson