RTL Today - Your guide to Paris 2024: Get to know the new sporting events at this year's Olympics

The Paris 2024 Olympics are set to captivate audiences with the introduction of three exhilarating new (or adapted) disciplines – breaking, kayak cross, and sport climbing – each promising high-energy action and vibrant social media appeal.

After the Olympic agenda was released in 2020, the organisers of Paris 2024 seized on the opportunity to add new sports to their roster. Three sports were introduced, namely: breaking (making its olympic debut), kayak cross, and sport climbing. All of which are sports that are easy to begin and are very attractive for social media content.

Breaking

One of the most unorthodox Olympic sports to feature, breaking originated in the United States in the 1970s. It featured at the Olympic Youth Games in Buenos Aires in 2018 and following its resounding success, it was decided to add it to the real deal!

What makes it so special and entertaining to watch are the acrobatic movements, stylised footwork, and the key role played by the DJ and the MC (master of ceremonies) during battles.

There will be two events held at this summer's Olympics, for men and women. 16 athletes will perform and be judged on their power moves (like windmills, 6-steps, or freezes) alongside their ability to adapt their style and moves to the beat of the music, in order to gain the judges' votes.

Kayak Cross

Alongside the traditional kayak singles and canoe singles, a new Olympic event will make its debut in canoe slalom at Paris 2024. Whereas all the other traditional events involve time trials and a points system, perhaps more excitingly kayak cross will introduce a race event. Four athletes will compete against each other to reach the finish line first.

They start on a ramp above the water and shunt themselves in once the race begins. From there they have to traverse through a maximum of six downstream gates and two upstream gates. It is sure to be a gripping event that will have audiences on the edge of their seats!

Sport Climbing

This already took place at the last Olympics in Tokyo, however, the format has been changed. As opposed to last time, where each athlete competed in all three disciplines (bouldering, lead climbing, and speed climbing), this year they will be separated, much to the satisfaction of many insiders. Speed climbing will now become its own event, whereas bouldering and lead will be combined, allowing athletes to specialise in the event they want to.

In bouldering, athletes climb 4.5m-high walls without ropes, under time constraint and seeking the fewest attempts possible. The lead discipline involves ropes and a 15m-high wall, the athletes will not have seen the route prior to the competition and have six minutes to get to the top. The most spectacular to watch is speed climbing, where athletes have to scale a 15m wall in a head-to-head race, with the loser being eliminated.

Despite the controversy surrounding this year's games, it is set to be an exhilarating display of sporting prowess. Which sports are you most looking forward to?