Changes to the Sports Lineup at the 2024 Paris Olympics — What’s New and What’s Gone

It’s always exciting to see what new sports are in the Olympics, and the 2024 Paris Olympics will be no exception. Get ready to enjoy world-class competition with these thrilling additions to the list of Olympic sports.

The 4 New Olympic Sports 

1. Breaking

First popularized as a hip-hop dance style in the Bronx during the 1970s, breaking has grown into a serious — and popular — competitive event. Breaking will make its Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Male and female breakers (known as B-boys and B-girls) from around the world will showcase athletic moves like windmills, the six-step, and freezes as they improvise to the beat of tracks from a live DJ. The competition will feature head-to-head battles of approximately one minute. When one breaker finishes their round, their opponent will instantly begin their routine, making for a fresh and exciting competition unlike any other at the Olympics. A panel of nine expert judges will decide who takes home the first Olympic breaking medals.

The breaking competition will be held on Aug 9 and 10 in the heart of Paris at Place de la Concorde, which will be transformed into an urban sports park.

Learn more about Breaking at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

2. Sport Climbing

The immense popularity of climbing — both indoor and outdoor — makes it a natural addition to the roster of Olympic sports. Sport climbing made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games and will again be featured in this summer’s Games for both men and women.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, medals will be awarded in two different competitions. The first is a combination of boulder and lead events. In boulder, athletes climb 4.5 meters without ropes in a limited time period with as few attempts as possible. In the lead event, athletes will climb as high as they can on a 15-meter wall in six minutes without having seen the route ahead of time. The routes will become more and more complex and challenging as the competition proceeds.

The other competition is speed climbing, in which athletes compete in lightning-fast, one-on-one elimination rounds on a 15-meter wall. The best can scale the full wall in under seven seconds!

Get ready to watch these exciting sport climbing events live from the brand new Le Bourget climbing venue outside of Paris Aug 5-10.

3. Skateboarding

The world’s greatest skateboarders will face each other at the 2024 Paris Olympics for the second time, after the sport debuted in Tokyo. Look for two exciting events for both men and women: park and street. The park competition takes place on a specially designed course combining bowls and curves that the athletes use to gain speed and perform aerial tricks. Skateboarders are judged by the height and speed of their tricks, as well as their ability to use the entire skating surface and all the obstacles. Each skateboarder will perform three 45-second runs, with the best counting as their final score.

The street event takes place on a straight course with stairs, handrails, and other obstacles designed to resemble the urban locales where skateboarding began. Athletes perform a range of tricks during two 45-second runs and are also judged on how well they control their board.

The skateboarding events will take place July 27 and 28 at the Place de la Concorde urban sports park.

Watch Olympic Skateboarding on Peacock.

4. Surfing

For only the second time, surfing will be a medaling sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But where can one surf in Paris, you might ask? The answer: one can’t! So the surfing competition will be held on the breathtaking island of Tahiti, a French territory in the South Pacific. The Teahupo’o surf break is one of the famous in the world, and the sport’s best will gather there for the men’s and women’s short board competition from July 27 – Aug 4. Five judges will rate surfers’ maneuvers and tricks on a wave, as well as their speed, power, and flow. It’s going to be a thrilling, unmissable competition in one of the world’s most beautiful settings.

These Sports Will Not Be Back for the 2024 Paris Olympics

After debuting as an Olympic sport in the 2020 Tokyo Games, karate has been left off the roster of the 2024 Paris Olympics. In addition, baseball and softball will not be played in Paris, although it has already been announced that both sports will return for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Stream Every Event of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Peacock.