The Olympic organizers have shown they are open to including youth-focused urban sports in the Olympic Games. These are sports practiced outside of conventional sporting arenas. At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris next summer, these four fresh sports could draw big audiences. The sports are skateboarding, breaking, surfing, and sport climbing.
Skateboarding
Skateboarding requires technique and speed. Those who master the board are able to perform some astounding tricks. This discipline is popular with young skaters from all over the world who enjoy the adrenaline rush. Skaters compete in Olympic qualifier events to gain qualifying points. Skateboarding made its official debut in the Tokyo Games and is set to become a fully-fledged permanent Olympic sport.
In July 2024, skateboarding will occur at the Place de Concorde in Paris. There will be 22 males and 22 two females involved in street and park disciplines. People will be able to place bets on both street and park events. In the U.S., online sports betting is available for many different Olympic sports.
Breaking
After its introduction in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, breaking will have its first appearance at the Paris Games. It is a new discipline that incorporates music, art, and dance. Its roots are in hip-hop, and it became popular in the U.S. in the 1990s.
The athletes (16 b-girls and 16 b-boys) will compete at the Place de Concorde, where they will have to impress the jury with their moves. One of the challenges is the point system – how do the judges score breakers without detracting from the artistic freedom of this sport? Creativity and musicality can be a gray area due to their subjectivity when judging a sport like this.
Many people watch clips on YouTube of breaking because they are amazed by the athleticism the moves require. Menno van Gorp from the Netherlands is a breaker to watch. He is well known for his signature moves and has won the World Final of BC One three times.
Surfing
First included in the Olympic program in 2020, surfing is a popular sport with over 35 million fans across the world. The Olympics 2024 venue for surfing will be Teahupoo in Tahiti. It is part of French Polynesia, lying between Australia and South America.
Surfers perform maneuvers on waves, and the waves in this well-known surfing spot can reach impressive heights. The judges score surfers on their speed, power, and flow. They also consider the variety, type, and difficulty of the tricks. Shortboards are usually the boards of choice for the Olympics as they are easier to maneuver. The surfing events in 2024 will occur between the 27th and 30th of July.
Sport climbing
At the 2024 Olympics, some of the world’s most talented climbers will demonstrate their skills. The Parc sportif et scolaire du Bourget is the venue for the sports climbing event. Sport climbing is spectacular to watch and lures crowds of spectators. This popular new sport has universal appeal and has over 25 million participants in almost 150 countries.
The three disciplines in Sports Climbing are Speed, Bouldering, and Lead. Speed is an obvious one. Bouldering is all about climbing using boulders on walls. Lead requires athletes to climb a difficult route that’s 20 meters high.
