New Olympic Sports Added for Paris 2024
The International Olympic Committee confirmed breaking, sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding as additional medal events for the Paris 2024 program, alongside the return of cricket in a new format for Los Angeles 2028. These additions follow the IOC's Olympic Agenda 2020+5 reforms, which prioritize urban sports and youth engagement. The Paris 2024 program reached 329 medal events across 32 sports, with breaking making its debut as a medal discipline. The LA 2028 organizing committee and the IOC signed the Host City Contract in 2023, formally adding cricket, lacrosse, and squash to the program, as reported by the IOC's official newsroom at https://olympics.com/ioc/news/paris-2024-and-la-2028-programme-decisions-take-shape.
Breaking, also known as breakdancing, will feature B-Boys and B-Girls head-to-head battles judged on technique, creativity, and musicality. Skateboarding will include park and street disciplines, with events held at the Place de la Concorde temporary venue. Surfing returns to Tahiti's Teahupo'o reef break for its third consecutive Games, while sport climbing returns with speed, boulder, and lead combined events. These additions align with the IOC's strategy to increase digital viewership and attract younger demographics, as noted in the IOC's strategic roadmap published at https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-agenda-2020.
Medal Counts and Rankings for New Events
Japan led the medal table in skateboarding at Paris 2024, winning multiple golds in street and park disciplines, while Australia topped the surfing medal count with two golds at Teahupo'o. Great Britain and France secured breaking medals, reflecting the sport's global grassroots base. In sport climbing, Indonesia and Slovenia earned multiple medals, with speed climbing records broken during the qualification rounds. The IOC's new event additions contributed to a more diverse medal distribution across NOCs, reducing the dominance of traditional powerhouses in athletics and swimming.
The LA 2028 program expansion to 351 medal events will further reshape the medal table, with cricket, lacrosse, and squash offering new opportunities for India, the United States, and Egypt. The IOC's revenue-sharing model distributes Olympic broadcast rights and TOP sponsor income to the IOC, International Federations, and organizing committees, with new sports increasing the total event inventory and broadcast inventory. The LA 2028 organizing committee has secured broadcast agreements with NBCUniversal and Discovery/Warner Bros. Discovery, as detailed in the LA 2028 media rights strategy at https://www.la28.org/en/games-plan.
Economic Impact and Sponsorship of New Olympic Sports
The addition of urban and youth-oriented sports has attracted new sponsors including Red Bull, Monster Energy, and Vans, expanding the Olympic Partner program's commercial portfolio. The IOC's TOP program for the 2025-2028 cycle includes enhanced digital activation rights for breaking, skateboarding, and surfing, targeting social media audiences on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Broadcast rights fees for Paris 2024 exceeded USD 3 billion, with new events contributing to higher youth viewership metrics and digital engagement rates across NBC, BBC, and Eurosport platforms.
The LA 2028 organizing committee projects a USD 6.7 billion economic impact for the Greater Los Angeles area, with new sports requiring temporary venues at Santa Monica, downtown Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire. The IOC's Olympic Broadcasting Services will provide global signal coverage for cricket at the Los Angeles Cricket Stadium, a temporary venue at Exposition Park. The LA 2028 budget includes USD 2