The Summer Olympics has traditionally featured 28 sports. But since 2020, host cities have been allowed to add up to six new sports to their Olympic program. The 2024 Summer Olympics, set to kick off in Paris, France, on July 26, will include four extra sports. They are breaking, surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing.
Breaking
Breaking, or breakdancing, will make its Olympic debut at the Paris Games. The urban dance style originated in the 1970s in New York City. It is characterized by intricate footwork, rapid movements, and impressive spins and flips.
The breaking competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will feature two events — one for men and one for women. The 16 athletes in each event will be judged on their unique style and flair on the floor. To ensure a fair competition, dancers will be required to incorporate a few mandatory moves into their routines.
Surfing
Surfing, which made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, returns for a second time in Paris. The 2024 surfing events will be hosted by the South Pacific island of Tahiti. The competition will be held over four days in a 10-day window, from July 27 to August 5, 2024.
The competitors will be judged on the variety, type, and difficulty of their maneuvers and tricks on a wave. Points will also be awarded for speed and flow — how seamlessly a surfer connects their moves from one to the next.
Skateboarding
Skateboarding returns to the Olympics after a successful debut in Tokyo. Competitors will have a choice of two disciplines: park and street. In the park competition, skaters will be scored on their height, speed, and agility as they navigate the course's obstacles and surfaces. Each contestant will have three 45-second runs, with the best run counting as their final score.
In street skateboarding, athletes will tackle a specially created flat urban street with stairs, handrails, and other features. Each athlete will have two 45-second runs to perform five tricks. They will be evaluated based on their board control, trick variety, and overall style.
Sport Climbing
Sport Climbing also had a successful debut in Tokyo. The sport will make a second appearance at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The competition will feature three events: bouldering, speed climbing, and lead climbing.
In bouldering, athletes scale up 14.7-foot (4.5-m) high walls without ropes, racing against the clock to complete the climb in the fewest attempts possible. In speed climbing, competitors are required to climb the wall rapidly and with precision. In lead climbing athletes are given six minutes to reach the highest point on a 49-foot (15-m) wall. What makes it challenging is that they have no prior knowledge of the route.
At the Tokyo Games, the scores of all three events were combined to determine the overall winner. However, that decision proved unpopular with athletes because speed climbing requires a very different skill set. To rectify this, at the Paris Games, only the bouldering and lead climbing scores will be combined. Speed climbing will be an independent event with its own medal.
Resources: Olympics.com, nbcolympics.com
