The Olympics bring some of the world’s greatest athletes together in hopes of earning a gold medal in front of the world. From basketball to track, it takes years of training and sacrifice to get on this stage. Fans have often wonder why certain activities aren’t in the competition, but now it looks like things might be beginning to change.
Organizers of the International Olympic Committee are looking to add sports like breakdancing to 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Tony Estanguet, a three-time canoeing Olympic champion and head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, thinks including the sport will make the Olympics “more urban” and “more artistic.” Breakdancing was included in the Youth Olympic Games held in Buenos Aires two years ago. Competing in head-to-head “battles,’ committee officials love the idea and want to implement in the games.
“We look forward to welcoming all new sports into the Olympic Games and will work with the relevant bodies to develop our relationships at the appropriate time,” a spokesperson said. “Although we did not compete in what was an invitational event at the recent Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, we did witness the popularity of breakdancing among fans there.”
Breakdancing isn’t the only sport that could soon be included. Squash, billiards, and chess had campaigns that were unsuccessful, upsetting squash fans particularly. “We truly believe squash could seamlessly integrate into the Olympic programme with minimal costs and an optimized pool of participants,” the World Squash Federation said. “Our unique interactive glass court would allow squash to bring a lot of additional excitement and spectacular action to any iconic monument of the host city or shed a new light on less known urban areas, while also helping to engage young people in the sport from day one of the preparations and well beyond the Olympic Games.”
Well, you can’t please everyone.
In the meantime, fans will get to enjoy surfing, skateboarding, climbing, and karate are set to make an appearance in the 2020 Games. The public will also be able to participate in the games through virtual and connected sports. They’ll also be able to run the marathon course on game day, testing their athletic abilities.
The committee must decide on adding breakdancing no later than December 2020.
