3 months ago
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What do you mean, surfing is a new Olympic sport?!
We all have our favourite Olympic sports. Me, I'm a gymnastics girlie at heart. But did you know that some fan-favourite sports weren't even IN the Olympics until recently? Olympic events change all the time — so let's just take a minute to appreciate all the sports that didn't get their moment of glory until recently:
1. Breaking — 2024
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Breaking (also known as breakdancing) is the newest Olympic sport, having debuted at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
2. Surfing — 2021
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I had no idea surfing was so new, but it actually wasn't even in the Olympics until the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 (actually dubbed the 2020 Games because the pandemic messed some of those dates up).
3. Skateboarding — 2021
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Also new in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was skateboarding, which the Olympics themselves described as a "roaring success" a year after its debut.
4. Climbing — 2021
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Although the rope climb was actually an Olympic sport a LONG time ago, traditional rock climbing wasn't in the Olympics until the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The events were also reorganized for the 2024 Olympics.
5. Karate — 2021
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My mind was blown when I learned that Karate was only part of the Olympics in 2021, and was dropped as an Olympic sport after those games. This was a whirlwind for fans of the sport, because nobody could really understand WHY it was left out.
6. BMX Freestyle — 2021
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BMX racing has been an Olympic sport since 2008, but the freestyle biking competition was only introduced for the 2021 Olympics, and has remained in the Olympics since then.
7. Rugby 7s — 2016
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Rugby 15s actually used to be part of the Olympics from 1900-1924, but was discontinued. Rugby 7s (a version of the game with seven players on each side) was reintroduced for the 2016 Rio Olympics. So for a long time there, we didn't have rugby at all in the Olympics!
8. Golf — 2016
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Golf was discontinued as an Olympic sport after only two Olympic Games: 1900 and 1904. But it was brought back for the 2016 Rio Olympics as well, and has been in the Olympics ever since.
9. And now, what's new for upcoming Olympics, starting with: Ski Mountaineering — 2026
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And of course, we can't forget about the sports that will be added to upcoming Olympics! One sport that's new for the 2026 Winter Olympics is ski mountaineering, which involves a lot of skiing both uphill and downhill.
10. Flag Football — 2028
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This sport has never been in the Olympics, but it was confirmed to be coming for the 2028 Summer Olympics!
11. Squash — 2028
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Squash has also never been an Olympic sport, but it's making its debut in the 2028 Summer Olympics as well.
12. Baseball and Softball — 2028
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You might have noticed these sports' absence at this year's Olympics. I certainly did. Turns out they've had an on-and-off relationship with the Olympics. But the good news is, they're coming back for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
13. Cricket — 2028
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I was also shocked to find out cricket hasn't been an Olympic sport since the 1900 Olympics. Well, it's actually coming back too, for the 2028 Summer Olympics!
14. Lacrosse — 2028
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The last sport being added to the Olympics for the 2028 Games is lacrosse, which was also briefly in the Olympics for the 1904 and 1908 Games. I'll have you know, Canada won gold in both of those Games, so we'll definitely have to prove ourselves when it comes back in four years.
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