The world is about to see one of the most important sporting events, the Olympics, from July 26 to August 11, 2024, and for the third time in Paris, France. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) adds and removes sports from each edition of the games, and so four new sports have been added to the 28 core sports for the 2024 event. Along with surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing—all of which have already been played in previous iterations—breakdancing will make its debut at the event as the first dance sport to be featured at the Olympic Games. Also, a sport's removal is determined by a variety of factors, including its popularity and significance, among others. Lastly, it will also be the final Olympic Games that will be held under the IOC presidency of Thomas Bach as he will completing his second term of presidency.
Nixed Sports in the 2024 Paris Olympics
Karate, Baseball and Softball are not included at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, Baseball and Softball will be back at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The reasons for nixing these three sports are as follows, with other details:.
Karate
Karate made a great debut at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, with 80 athletes split between two male (Kata) and two female (Kumite) divisions. Many in the martial arts community were surprised by the IOC's decision to remove the combat sport in 2024, considering how well-liked the sport is in France.
Reuters claims that karate's bids to the Olympics were denied because organizers believe that the sport doesn't attract a younger audience given that the average age of athletes participating is 30 years. It's not very entertaining either, as the other division of the sport, called "kumite," may look more like a fast-paced "game of tag" to the ones who don't understand Karate.
Baseball
The schedule conflict is the primary bone of contention between the sport of baseball and the IOC. Since the summer is a crucial time for Major League Baseball (MLB) outside of a regular 162-game season, players who get qualified to take part in the Olympics will have to leave their teams to play in the summer. This creates stress and disruption on the teams', said Robert Manfred, the MLB Commissioner, during his 2020 interview with Forbes. Manfred further added that "continuity is really important to our competition," and they cannot change their day-to-day schedules by adding breaks in between, which will not be supported by team owners.
Also, previously, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, doping was also a serious concern in relation to baseball. Regardless, baseball's status as an Olympic medal event has been subject to far too many twists and turns, even though it made its debut at the 1904 Games and was later included in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
Softball
USA Today claims that the popularity of softball at the Olympic Games fluctuates since host cities are now permitted to include sports in their schedules according to regulations set out by the IOC. According to the NBC, the IOC must support the host city's decision if they decide to add a sport, but there isn't enough interest in a particular event, like softball.
Softball was included in the Olympics from 1996 to 2008 but was removed from the schedule for the 2012 and 2016 games. It made its return in 2020, and for the 2024 edition, it's been removed again.
Read more about how many countries will participate in paris olympics
FAQ's On What Sports Are Not in the Olympics in 2024
A. Baseball, Karate and Softball have been dropped from the 2024 Olympics.
A. The schedule clash between the MLB season and the Olympic games is the reason for baseball being nixed from the 2024 Olympics.
A. Karate is no longer an Olympic sport because it heavily lacks an entertaining factor, plus it doesn't attract a younger audience.
A. The “breaking” at the 2024 Olympics is "Break Dancing". Moreover, this new sport will be making its debut at the Olympic Games as the first dance sport.
A. The 2024 Olympic Games have four new sports: breaking, surfing, sport climbing and skateboarding.