Every four years we select a city to host the Olympics. We switch between the summer and the winter sports. In 2020, the Winter Olympics were hosted in Toyko, Japan, and this year they will be held in Paris, France. The Winter Olympics tend to be more widely known, so what does the Summer Olympics look like and what do they have in store for us?
This Summer Olympics has added four new sports to their list, these being: breaking, surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing. Breaking is a dance style originating on the street that requires movements such as acrobatics, spins, flips and other tricks. The sport is judged as such in the Olympics. This style originated in the Bronx of New York around the 1970s. It requires an incredible amount of athleticism to perform this, just as ice skating and other dance-related sports in the Olympics. It’s good to see more dance styles and activities being recognized as sports, allowing the performers the recognition they deserve.
As for surfing, there will be about 48 competitors from around the world competing this year. Surfers perform tight manoeuvers and tricks on their boards, and they are judged based on the variety and difficulty of each trick. They are also judged on their speed, power, and flow throughout their competition. Surfing has been around since the 15th century and has been enjoyed by many! This sport has been recognized as a part of the Olympics since 2020, however, this is the first year they will be competing in this sport due to the season in which it was approved.
Another addition to this year’s list of sports is skateboarding. The height and speed will be judged during each trick. Included in the judging, they will determine the skaters’ use of their space and ability to avoid obstacles. Skateboarding has been around since 1950 and is considered a part of surf culture. It became more popular in the 1980s as a part of the rising alternative style. The popularity of skateboarding hasn’t slowed down since and is very popular even now with both younger and older generations.
The final sport added for this year’s Summer Olympics is sport climbing. In the Olympics, sport climbing will involve three main formats, those being boulder, lead and speed. There will be a time limit for each athlete to complete the course set up for them. They will be climbing a 4.5-meter tall wall without ropes with as few attempts as possible. Sport climbing is a fairly young sport much like those who compete. It has gained popularity in the past 20 years, with many of its climbers being even younger. The first organized climbing competition was in 1985 in Italy.
With all of these new sports this year it’s hard to not get excited to see how these athletes perform. Seeing new sports is always exciting. It gives new opportunities to those who enjoy the more obscure athletics to show what they’re capable of and get the publicity they deserve. For those who watch, wish luck to those who are competing and enjoy this year’s Olympics!
