Key Highlights

• Breaking, also known as breakdancing, will make its Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
• Sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing, which debuted at Tokyo 2020, will return at Paris 2024.
• Surfing events will be held in Tahiti, French Polynesia, due to the lack of suitable conditions in Paris.
• The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will introduce flag football and squash as new sports.

(NicePlay Sports) – The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are drawing ever closer and excitement is growing as the sporting world prepares to descend on the French capital. There will be plenty of familiar events and renowned athletes on show this summer: athletics, tennis, and cycling are just a few of the sports that will attract significant attention. But there will also be some entirely new sports at the 2024 Games. We’ve taken a closer look at all four of these welcome additions and provided a brief explainer for anyone unfamiliar with them.

Breaking: The Dance Revolution On The Olympic Stage

Breaking will appear at the Olympics for the first time ever in 2024. It is a form of urban dancing that originated in the United States in the 1970s and is often incorrectly called breakdancing. Among the most acrobatic types of dance, breaking requires impressive agility, balance, and footwork. International competitions began being held in the 1990s and the sport featured at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. This summer, breaking will take place at Place de la Concorde in Paris, with the women’s competition set to start on Friday, August 9, and the men’s a day later. Each event will see 16 ‘b-boys’ and ‘b-girls’ compete against each other, with the winner navigating a series of one-on-one battles as decided by the judges.

Sport Climbing: Scaling New Heights

Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that includes bouldering, speed climbing, and lead climbing. According to the official Olympics website, 39% of competitors are under 18 years old. It is hardly surprising that the sport has a youthful demographic, given the agility and dexterity required to be a success. Climbing the walls at pace also requires impressive levels of strength. Like breaking, sport climbing first appeared at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, before making its Olympic debut at the 2020 Japan Games.

Skateboarding: From Streets to the Olympic Arena

Skateboarding emerged in the US in the 1950s and quickly became prominent both as a sport and as a cultural movement. It is often associated with fashion and video games, but it has become a respected sport that boasts some high-level athletes. Skateboarders will compete in two different formats at the 2024 Olympics: park and street. After navigating the prelims and the finals, the judges will decide a winner. The sport made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games and will take place at Place de La Concorde in Paris.

Surfing: Riding the Waves in Tahiti

Riding waves is a popular pastime for those fortunate enough to live next to the ocean (and with nice weather). It is also a growing sport, with some of its most talented participants set to go head-to-head in Paris. The surfers will be judged on the ‘speed, power, and flow’ of their movements as they attempt to navigate the waves better than their rivals. Those in Paris hoping to watch live will have to book a plane ticket, though: given the obvious lack of sea water in the capital city, the events will take place in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Surfing only appeared at the Olympics for the first time at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Looking Ahead to Los Angeles 2028

The 2028 Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles and include two new sports and four returning activities that won’t be included in the Paris Games. The two debuting sports are flag football and squash. Like breaking, squash was included in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, but flag football has never been played as an Olympic sport before. Lacrosse was first played in the Olympics in 1904 and again in 1908, but hasn’t competitively appeared in the Games since then. The version slated for 2028 will have six players on each side. World Lacrosse referred to the version that will be played in 2028 as an ‘incredibly fast-paced, compact version of the sport at the intersection of field and box lacrosse.’ Another returning sport will be cricket, which has only been played once during the Olympics. It appeared at the 1900 Olympics, which were held in Paris. Baseball and softball, last seen during the Tokyo Games in 2021, will also be played in Los Angeles.