25 Jul 2024

The new sports in action at the Paris Olympics

From Nine To Noon, 9:30 am on 25 July 2024

This year's Olympics in Paris will showcase quite an innovative programme change.

In addition to the traditional events like track and field, swimming and gymnastics there'll also be more youth-oriented sports like surfing, skateboarding, kiteboarding, sport-climbing and breaking...that's breakdancing.

Their foray into the Olympic schedule hasn't been easy....and to talk more about that is Holly Thorpe, Professor in Sociology of Sport and Gender at the University of Waikato.

She's the co-author of 'Action Sports and the Olympic Games: Past, Present, Future' and has been watching the evolution very closely.

Young man break dancing at night on urban painted walls background

Breaking (breakdancing) will be on display at this year's Games for the first time.  Photo: 123RF