Sports favorites of the 90s are coming to the Olympic Games in 2024, including breakdancing, skateboarding, surfing, karate, baseball, softball, and climbing.

In the many olympic games that have come before, the sports involved have largely remained the same. With the coming influx, athletes and audience alike are certain to experience a stir.

“Well, personally I think that adding new sports allows more freedom for people to express themselves in what they enjoy, and I believe that’s a great thing. As long as the roster of sports doesn’t get over saturated with too many overly specific sports, like extreme slinky for example,” says Connor Hennessy (‘22).

Some of the new sports were planned to debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, but due to the unfortunate circumstances of the pandemic they have been shifted to 2024 in Paris. Baseball is a prime example.

“I think that the Olympic baseball event will look pretty similar to traditional baseball, but they might implement some rules to make the game move faster and keep it engaging for audiences who might not appreciate the sport as much,” said JV baseball player Evan Kent (‘22).

The first of the modern Olympic Games was held in 1896, only 12 nations participated, and there were only 43 events across 9 sports, compared to the 329 events across 32 sports planned for Paris 2024, including the new editions.

“I don’t think they will affect the Olympics at all really, they might attract younger crowds who are more prone to playing those types of sports. Many more athletes will be able to test their skills in tournament fashion with their sports included as well,” said Riley Gleason (‘22).