Can New Events Help the Olympics Attract Younger Audiences? Organizers Hope So
What’s going on: When the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896, it included just 9 sports and 43 events. Compare that to this year’s Olympics, which boasts 45 sports and 363 medal events, including three making their Olympic debut. Among these is breaking, the only entirely new sport in the lineup this year. (Keep an eye out for Team USA’s Sunny Choi and Victor Montalvo, who will be among the 32 B-Boys and B-Girls participating in one-on-one, minute-long dance battles.) Also added to the Games? Kayak cross, which has been called “the chaotic new Olympic event.” That’s because it’s the first time kayakers will compete against each other — rather than the clock — as they race over white water, navigate upstream and downstream gates, and complete a 360-degree boat roll. Finally, kiteboarding will also make its debut as an Olympic sailing event.
What it means: This isn’t the first time the Olympics has tried to mix things up. In fact, changes to the lineup seem to happen every Games. Exhibit A: While baseball, softball, lacrosse, squash, cricket, and flag football will all be added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, breaking won’t be back...at least, for now. All lineup decisions are made by the IOC in a process that some have criticized as being too “opaque.” While some strict criteria must be met, other factors also play a role: the popularity of the sport, the number of places where it is played, and the number of tickets it might sell. That last one is particularly important as the IOC tries to bring in new and younger audiences, without adding too many sports that “are fleeting and faddish.”
