THERE is an ongoing effort by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to introduce new and somewhat controversial sports, such as BMX freestyle, surfing, climbing, skateboarding, skating, to the Olympic competition line-up. Some of these made its debut at the recent Tokyo Olympics and some look to be introduced in the forthcoming 2024 Paris and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Why have these sporting activities been considered when long-standing and established sports, such as squash, have been sidelined by the official body? Well, the answer lies in the recent postings by athletes that have exploded over social media during the course of the Tokyo Olympics. Olympians, such as 20-year-old skateboarder, American Jagger Eaton and Britian’s 13-year-old Sky Brown are prime examples of what the IOC is looking for: the perfect talents for the digital world.
Eaton’s live video call after his men’s skateboarding street final to his nearly half a million followers is but one in a string of Olympic athletes to demonstrate how the new sports have helped to attract new audiences. Since RIO 2016, when data revealed a declining interest among young people and a sharp fall in viewing figures, the IOC have been wanting to shake things up for a while now.
“We want to take sport to the youth. With the many options that young people have, we cannot expect any more that they will automatically come to us. We have to go to them,” said IOC president Thomas Bach, after announcing new events for Tokyo.
In an effort to bring about more attractive displays that generate an ‘alternative’ form of sporting entertainment and camaraderie unlike what was traditionally offered on the Olympic ledger, breakdancing or “breaking” will be coming to Paris in 2024 after undergoing a trial at the Youth Games. The sight of teenagers playing computer games is also in the works for Los Angeles 2028 with the introduction of e-sports.
These series of ‘unconventional’ additions begs the ultimate question of what constitutes an Olympic sport and where does one draw the line? Skateboarding had its share of controversy but its basically, snowboarding for the summer Games since the latter was hugely popular in the Pyeongchang Winter Games. Come to think of it, isn’t breakdancing a form of rhythmic gymnastics? Along with these comes a more traditional sport, such as parkour, which could also be included in future Games.
Tokyo has been hailed as a success by Bach for its digital engagement, citing “more than 250 million cheers on the virtual cheer map”. “These Olympic Games were more youthful, more urban, more gender-balanced, bringing in new audiences and communities, and created new Olympians,” he said. “Our (IOC & Tokyo 2020) social posts have generated more than 4.7 billion engagements in 2021 and a majority of them during the past 14 days of the Tokyo Olympics.”
One could consider that these new sports is an attempt to be more inclusive and to get young people to participate but a more cynical view would led us to believe that the Olympic Games is really a business that relies entirely on broadcast revenue. Isn’t that why the Tokyo Games were staged in the midst of a pandemic, even without fans in attendance? Well, people still watched from the comfort of their homes so there’s still money to be made from their viewership.
The Olympic brand is a powerful entity that is fiercely protected for many reasons, including the fact that it displays inspirational excellence which can be translated into dollar signs provided that their exclusivity remains intact. Case in point would be ‘double double’ Olympic champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah’s temporary suspension of her victorious Instagram clip, which was intially blocked due to copyright issues. The IOC needs to protect and grow its signature product and the only way to do that is to attract a whole new generation to the Olympic rings.
The new direction has drawn plenty of criticism, even within the industry. Upon hearing that breakdancing was to be included, IOC member, Sebastian Coe, told the Independent: “Well, it’s in there,” he said flatly. “Just wait until e-sports arrive.”
Despite the platform it exemplifies, the Olympic Games is more a business than anything else. As such, there are determined parties who want to create this Olympic revolution in order to establish a continued existence for the Games in the future. Like it or not, it’s going to be a new Olympic order in time to come. – The Vibes, August 10, 2021
