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The Paris Olympics will see a competitive form of breakdancing known as Breaking – which originated in New York in the 1970s – making its debut. Meanwhile, climbing, skateboarding and surfing are returning from the 2020 Toyko games. But what’s the process for adding a sport to the event? Can the host nation do so? read more
 "How are new sports added to the event?")
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will showcase 329 events across 32 sports. AP
The Paris Olympics are set to open Friday.
A competitive form of breakdancing known as Breaking – which originated in New York in the 1970s – will make its debut at the Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, while climbing, skateboarding and surfing are returning from the Toyko games.
Karate has not been included in the line-up this time and baseball and softball have also been dropped.
But how are sports added to the Olympics?
Let’s take a closer look:
How are sports added to the Olympics?
First, let’s take a brief look at the Olympics
The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896.
Originally, there were just nine sports and 43 events.
However, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will have 329 events across 32 sports.
As per Indian Express, in order for a sport to be added to the Olympics, it must meet the following criteria:
It must be among those run by the International Federations (IFs) recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
It must conform to the Olympic Charter – the codified rules and principles that lay out the running and organisation of the Olympic Games.
It must follow the World Anti-Doping Code, which puts in place uniform policies across all sports and nations
It must obey the Olympic Movement Code for the Prevention of Tampering in Competition. This seeks to safeguard the integrity of sports against any form of cheating.
As per NPR, the criteria also includes the value the sport adds to the legacy of the Olympics, how long the sport has existed, how popular it is in the host nation and how much it would cost to broadcast.
As per Olympics.com, the Olympic Agenda 2020 – adopted in December 2014 – established the process of adopting sports.
“As part of this new process the Organising Committee of a specific edition of the Olympic Games may propose to the IOC the inclusion, for such edition only, of one or more additional events from the sports governed by the IOC Recognised Ifs,” the website stated.
As per Indian Express, the city and the host country’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) create the Organising Committee.
The host can add a new sport to its line-up through the committee.
The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee was the first OCOG able to propose new sports. The Tokyo games included five new sports for its Summer Edition edition – surfing, karate, sports climbing, skateboarding and baseball/softball.
What new sports will be featured?
A competitive form of breakdancing that blends artistry and dance with acrobatic moves, breaking will debut at the Paris Olympics. The urban dance style, which originated in the Bronx borough of New York in the 1970s, was announced as part of the Paris 2024 programme in late 2020.
Twice World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) championship winner Victor Montalvo and Canadian Phil Wizard (Philip Kim) will be the favourites in the B-Boy category.
Montalvo, 30, held off Wizard in the final to take the WDSF World Breaking Championship title last year and became the first American to qualify for breaking at the Olympics.
Wizard, 27, won the WDSF championship in 2022.
In the B-Girl category, the 2023 world champion, 17-year-old Nicka (Dominika Banevic) of Lithuania, and Japanese Ami (Ami Yuasa) will be the ones to watch out for.
Kayak Cross
Having made its Olympic debut at Munich 1972, canoe slalom will see a new event added to its roster with kayak cross making its debut at Paris 2024.
Kayak cross is an extreme canoe slalom, which sees competitors in kayaks race on white water, jostling each other with their paddles for pole position.
The Olympic event will begin with timed solo runs before introducing a frenetic element of head-to-head competition as four racers face off against each other, vying for position on the course with placings changing rapidly and contact almost inevitable.
Britain’s world champion Joe Clarke and Australia’s Jessica Fox are among the favourites to win inaugural gold medals in the event, but the chaotic nature of the four-person races makes them almost impossible to predict.
There will be six medals up for grabs, and an equal number of men and women competing.
Kiteboarding
Kiteboarding, also known as kitesurfing, is a high-octane sport that will be among the 10 sailing events at Paris 2024 for the first time in Olympic history.
Kiteboarding will be held in Formula Kite format with 20 men and 20 women using approved kites in a wind range between five to 40 knots.
American Daniela Moroz and Maximilian Maeder of Singapore will be the ones to watch. Moroz is number one in the Formula Kite women’s rankings, while Maeder is ranked number one in the men’s category.
There will be three new mixed events in sailing, including mixed kiteboarding and mixed 470.
Modern pentathlon was previously completed over the course of one day, but the Paris 2024 semi-final and final will be condensed into 90 minutes. The order of the disciplines will also be new, with short rest intervals.
A repechage round will be introduced to all individual track events in athletics from 200m to 1500m in distance. Replacing the individual 50km, the mixed team walking race will also make its Olympic debut at Paris 2024.
In artistic swimming, men will be eligible to compete for the first time in Olympic history. Acrobatic team routine has also been added to the programme.
A new women’s weight class, bantamweight, will be introduced in boxing while the men’s light heavyweight division will be removed.
Skeet mixed team event in shooting will replace the trap mixed team event.
In volleyball, teams will be split into three pools of four each, playing three matches in the pool phase.
Two extreme canoe slalom have been added, while two canoe sprint events have been cut.
Returning events
The Paris organisers have included sport climbing, skateboarding and surfing — all of which also featured as additional events at Tokyo 2020.
Climbing: There will be two events for male and female competitors in Paris – speed climbing and a combined bouldering and lead competition.
Skateboarding: Skateboarding will have two disciplines, street and park.
Surfing: Almost 16,000 km from the main Games venues, 48 surfers will compete in the shortboard events in Teahupo’o in Tahiti.
Bye-bye for now
Having made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, karate was not included in the 2024 Games. Baseball-softball has also been dropped for Paris but will return at Los Angeles 2028.
With inputs from agencies
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English (US) ·