Francois Mori/Associated Press
Breakdancing rose to prominence in New York City in the 1970s, and since then the popular street dance style has exploded around the world. How much so? Enough that it’s about to become an Olympic sport.
When the Summer Games come to Paris in 2024, the only new sport to be added to the competition will be “breaking,” which is the competitive name for breakdancing events. Skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing, all of which were added during the Tokyo 2020 Games, will also return.
It might seem a bit early to start thinking about the 2024 Summer Games, considering the 2022 Winter Olympics just kicked off this week in Beijing. However, many details about what to expect in Paris have already been released.
For one thing, the 2024 Summer Games already have a logo. Here’s a look at what you’ll see in the French capital:
This will be the first time the Summer Olympics have been held in Paris since 1924, although Albertville did host the Winter Games in 1992.
The Paris Olympics are scheduled from July 26 to August 1. January 11, 2024. An event schedule has not yet been set, but there will be 306 events in 32 sports.
Breaking will be a unique addition to the Summer Games, as there has been nothing like it in Olympic competition in the past. There will be a men’s and women’s event, each of which will feature 16 competitors. Their performances will be scored by the judges as they battle for medals.
Sport climbing will once again have three formats: block, speed and lead. Male and female entrants will have to compete in all three, with their final scores coming from a combination of the results. At the Tokyo Games, Spain’s Alberto Ginés López and Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret won the inaugural gold medals.
It was no surprise that skateboarding and surfing were added to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, as both have been a part of the Summer X Games for years. And it will be exciting to see both return to Paris.
Skateboarding features four events in which competitors can earn medals: men’s park, women’s park, men’s lane, and women’s lane. Japan took three of the four golds at their home Games.
Italo Ferreira of Brazil (men’s shortboard) and Carissa Moore of the United States (women’s shortboard) were the first gold medalists in surfing at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Those events will be the sport’s two competitions again in 2024.
Although breaking has been added and several other new events remain at the Olympics, a couple of sports will not return in 2024. Baseball and karate will not be among the events taking place in Paris after both were featured in Tokyo.
The 2024 Summer Games may still be more than two years away, but there is reason to start getting excited. For example, beach volleyball matches will be played directly in front of the Eiffel Tower, providing an extraordinary backdrop for the action.
Not only that, but the 2024 Summer Olympics will also have the first opening ceremony to take place outside of a stadium. According to Evan Hilbert from USA Today, the parade of nations will be “a flotilla of 162 boats on the Seine river, with spectators who will be able to watch from the banks for free”.
So enjoy the 2022 Winter Olympics, but also remember that there are plenty of reasons to look forward to the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, which should be quite the spectacle.
bleacherreport.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism