These 3 Popular Sports Got Cut And 1 Was Added To The 2024 Olympics

3 months ago

The Olympics are almost here!

The Eiffel Tower lit up at night with the Olympic rings displayed and beams of light radiating from it, celebrating the upcoming Olympic Games

Kicking off July 26, the Summer Olympics will see athletes and audiences flocking for fierce competitions in the City of Lights.

Eiffel Tower in the background of a Paris 2024 Olympic Games volleyball stadium setup, with players practicing on the sand court. Stadium seats are mostly empty

There are some program changes this year, with three sports departing and one sport making its Olympics debut. So here's the rundown of notable sporting changes to expect:

Leaving: Baseball

Japanese Olympic baseball team celebrates on the field, hugging and cheering

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Baseball first joined in Barcelona 1992, where Cuba won gold. The sport was removed after Beijing 2008. It came back briefly for Tokyo 2020, but it will not be returning this year in Paris.

Members of the Cuban baseball team celebrating on the field, with one player, wearing jersey number 51 (Perez), proudly holding a Cuban flag

Leaving: Softball

Japanese women's softball team celebrates on the field, smiling and hugging after a game

Four years after Baseball debuted, Softball joined at Atlanta 1996, where the US won gold. The sport has followed the same path as Baseball: exiting the Olympics after Beijing before making a brief return four years ago at the Tokyo games.

Softball players from Team USA joyfully celebrate on the field, hugging each other after a game

Leaving: Karate

Sandra Sánchez performs a karate move in a martial arts uniform with a red belt at a competition

Karate debuted at the last Olympics. It consisted of two events — Kumite and Kata. The events were split by weight class and gender, resulting in eight gold medals up for grabs. However, Karate was not brought back for the Paris games.

Karate competitors in action at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Joining: Breaking

A breakdancer performs an inverted headspin on stage during an event with the Olympic rings symbol visible in the background

Breakdancing is joining for the first time and will consist of one event for B-Boys and one for B-Girls. It first made an appearance in the Olympic circuit at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

Breakdancer performing on one hand at an Olympic event, with another person watching in the background. The word "BREAK" is displayed behind them

And, finally, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing are back for their second Olympic appearances after debuting in Tokyo.

A skateboarder performs a trick down steps in front of the "Tokyo 2020" Olympic logo at a skateboarding event

Dan Mullan / Getty Images

Tell us in the comments below which sports you're most looking forward to watching at the Olympics!

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