The 2024 Olympics kick off next month, so it’s well and truly time that we get acquainted with all of the new sports for the Paris Olympics.
The Olympics in Paris will see the debut of breaking, as the games pivot towards a younger demographic, while other unique sports like skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing will all return after their 2021 debut.
We will also see a number of other changes to sports across multiple disciplines that will make for a fun and exciting tournament for viewers at home, and on the ground in Paris.
The changes come as part of a wider approach led by the Paris 2024 committee to set a new standard for inclusive, gender-balanced and youth-centered Olympics. The big four sports being pushed at Paris 2024 (breaking, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing) all feature a strong youth focus, a big social media presence and an emphasis on creativity.
What Are The New Sports In The 2024 Paris Olympics?
Breaking (Breakdancing) at the Olympics
Breaking, AKA breakdancing, will make its Olympic debut in Paris in a huge win for the hip-hop community. The event is comprised of two competitions — one for men and one for women — in which 16 B-Boys and B-Girls will face off in solo, improvised battles.
Originating in the Bronx in the 1970s, breaking is a style of street dance that combines acrobatics, fast footwork, improvisation and hip-hop music.
The sport was added to the senior Olympics after a huge success at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018.
How Does Olympic Breaking Work?
The athletes will face off in solo battles, in which they will improvise to the music provided by the DJ for 60 seconds.
Each battle is performed in front of a panel of judges who rate each performance using a defined criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality.
Australia’s Breaking Athletes:
Australia will have two breakers compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- B-Girl Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn
- B-Boy Jeff ‘J-Attack’ Dunne
Skateboarding at the Olympics
Skateboarding returns to the Paris 2024 Olympics after making its debut in Tokyo — featuring two disciplines: park, and street.
Park skateboarders compete in three 45-second runs in a varied course using bowls and bends, in which they are judged on their technique, height, speed and use of the entire surface.
Street skateboarders have two 45-second runs in which to perform five tricks on the street-like course. They are judged on control, as well as the tricks themselves.
Surfing at the Olympics
Surfing will return to the Olympics in 2024 after success in Tokyo 2020 — but will not actually take place in Paris.
The event will be held at the famous Teahupo’o surf break in Tahiti (a French territory). The event will be held over four days in a 10-day window throughout the tournament, with exact dates subject to weather conditions.
Surfers are judged on the difficulty and execution of tricks, as well as the speed, power and flow of their surfing.
Interestingly, surfing’s inclusion at an Olympic level has been an almost century-long battle, with the first campaign being led by Hawaiian swimming champion Duke Kahanamoku way back in the 1920s.
Sport Climbing at the Olympics
Sport climbing (AKA rock climbing) is another sport that debuted in Tokyo 2020 that will be back for 2024. It features three formats — bouldering, speed, and lead.
In bouldering, athletes aim to climb a 4.5m high wall without ropes, as quickly as possible.
In the speed category, athletes face off in a one-on-one elimination in which they race to see who can scale a 15m wall (at a five-degree incline) quicker.
And in the lead event, athletes have six minutes to climb a more complex wall that they haven’t seen ahead of time. They are tasked with climbing as high as they can on the 15 metre wall in this timeframe.
In 2020, athletes competed in all three events and the overall winner took home the gold medal, but in 2024, speed will feature as a separate event — while bouldering and lead will remain combined.
Kayak Cross at the Olympics
In addition to the traditional kayak and canoe single events that have been around for a while, kayak cross will make its debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The event will be a separate chance for kayakers to win a gold medal at the Olympics — which means that in addition to Australia’s golden girl Jess Fox competing in the sport, her sister Noemie Fox will also have a shot at medalling in Paris.
While other kayak and canoe events are a race against the clock, the kayak cross will see four athletes compete simultaneously — adding an extra challenge on top of the single events.
“We’re in direct confrontation with each other. There’s a lot of contact and strategy is important because you need to adapt to the other athletes’ choices. If someone decides to go through a gate in a certain way, how can I react to overtake her?” French athlete Majorie Delassus described.
Athletes will also have to complete a full 360-degree roll of their kayak — which is about as brutal as it sounds.
Even if you’re not a fan of classic kayak and canoe sports, this one promises to entertain.
3×3 Basketball at the Olympics
3×3 basketball is a condensed version of the basketball we all know and love, and will make its return in Paris at the 2024 Olympics after a debut in Tokyo 2020.
The game is played on a half-court (which is why it is so popular in urban areas where space is limited), with three players on each team. Both teams are shooting for the same hoop — and defending it.
Games only take ten minutes, or will stop when the first team reaches 21 points.
Other Changes to the Olympic Games Sports for 2024
Artistic Swimming at the Olympics
Artistic swimming isn’t a new sport at the Olympics, but in 2024 we will see men compete in the competition for the first time in its history.
The sport consists of two events: a duet and a team — both of which will perform a free routine and a technical routine in front of a panel of judges.
The judging criteria is based on execution, choreography, difficulty, use of music and — of course — synchronization.
Sailing at the Olympics
Sailing has been an Olympic staple from the very beginning, making an appearance at every edition of the modern Olympic Games. However, the specifics of the competition — and the boats included — change regularly.
Two new sailing events will take place at the Paris 2024 Olympics: windsurfing and kiteboarding.
A mixed dinghy event will also be introduced in the 470 category.
Meanwhile, the Finn dinghy — the longest-serving Olympic class — will not be present in Paris.
Which Sports Have Been Cut From The Paris Olympics?
With new sports being introduced, some sports have also been cut from the Paris 2024 Olympics — karate, baseball and softball.
While karate has been cut for the foreseeable future, baseball and softball will return in 2028 — just in time for the Olympics’ return to the United States.
Full List of Sports at the Paris Olympics 2024
The Paris 2024 Olympics will feature 329 medal events across 32 different sports. The full list of sports are as follows:
- Archery
- Artistic gymnastics
- Artistic swimming
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Basketball 3×3
- Beach volleyball
- Boxing
- Breaking
- Canoe slalom
- Canoe sprint
- Cycling BMX freestyle
- Cycling BMX racing
- Cycling mountain bike
- Cycling road
- Cycling track
- Diving
- Equestrian
- Fencing
- Football
- Golf
- Handball
- Hockey
- Judo
- Marathon swimming
- Modern pentathlon
- Rhythmic gymnastics
- Rowing
- Rugby sevens
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Skateboarding
- Sport climbing
- Surfing
- Swimming
- Table tennis
- Taekwondo
- Tennis
- Trampoline
- Triathlon
- Volleyball
- Water polo
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
How To Watch The Paris 2024 Olympics In Australia
You can watch the Paris 2024 Olympics on more than 40 free-to-air channels on the Nine Network, as well as on-demand highlights on 9Now.
You can also catch all 329 events ad-free, live and in 4K on Stan Sport.
