Changes to Sports at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
There is a total of 32 sports on Paris 2024 Olympic Games program, encompassing 329 events. Breakdancing is the only sport making its debut, while there are new events such as kiteboarding which will be part of sailing in 2024. Compared to the previous 2021 Tokyo Olympic sports, karate, baseball & softball have been dropped. See the list of sports in pictures.
In addition to the changes to the sports on the program, there are many changes to the events in each sport too. We have listed them all below. Overall there has been a reduction in the total number of events from 339 to 329 (mostly through reducing boxing and weightlifting weight categories) and consequently a reduction in the number of athletes, compared to the Tokyo Olympics. Also, for the first time there will be 100% gender equality (in athlete quotas).
List of Olympic Sports and Their Changes for 2024
- Aquatics
- swimming — there are no changes.
- diving — there are no changes.
- open-water — The men's and women's 10 km races will feature 22 swimmers each, three less than those in Tokyo 2020.
- artistic swimming — The number of swimmers competing across the two events has been reduced from 104 to 96. There is also a change in eligibility. The sport was once for females only, now a maximum of two men are eligible to compete in the team event, which features eight athletes on each team.
- water polo — there are no changes.
- Archery — there are no changes.
- Badminton — there are no changes.
- Basketball (5x5 and 3x3) — there are no changes.
- Breakdancing — a newly added sport
- Boxing — The total number of medals available remain the same in boxing, but one men's category has been removed and one women's category added.
- Canoe / Kayak
- Sprint — The men's C-2 and K-2 1000m have been replaced with shorter events, the men's C-2 and K-2 500m (so they are the same as the women's events). Also the men's and women's K-1 200m events have been removed (to make way for the new men's and women's slalom kayak cross events).
- Slalom — A men's and women's slalom kayak cross event has been added.
- Cycling
- Track — All events are the same, though the number of riders in the women's team sprint increased from two to three, part of the changes to create an even number of men and women participants.
- Road — there are no changes.
- Mountain Bike — there are no changes.
- BMX — there are no changes.
- Equestrian — there are no changes.
- Fencing — there are no changes.
- Football (soccer) — there are no changes.
- Golf — there are no changes.
- Gymnastics (Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampolining) — there are no changes.
- Handball — there are no changes.
- Hockey — there are no changes.
- Judo — there are no changes.
- Modern Pentathlon — there are no changes.
- Rowing — all events are the same, though there is a small reduction in total numbr of athletes.
- Rugby 7s — For the first time, the rugby sevens matches will start two days before the opening ceremony.
- Sailing — Many changes: a new event kiteboarding has been added to the sailing sport category. In windsurfing, a new racing board has been introduced in 2024, the iQFoil, a high-performance, one-design hydrofoil windsurfer. Instead of the men's and women's 470 class there is now a single 470 mixed event. Removal of Finn class (male).
- Shooting — Compared to 2020, the mixed team trap competition has been replaced with the mixed team skeet. Also, the total number of shooters competing has been reduced from 360 to 340.
- Skateboarding — the events are the same, though the total number of athletes has increased from 80 to 88.
- Sport Climbing — The speed climbing event has been separated from the bouldering and lead events. The result is an increase in the number medal events from two to four. There is also an change in the total number of climbers participating, increasing from 40 to 68.
- Surfing — 48 surfers (24 for each gender) will compete in the shortboard events, eight more than in Tokyo 2020.
- Table Tennis — no changes.
- Taekwondo — no changes.
- Tennis — there are no changes ot the playing format, though it will be played on clay, the first time since the 1992 Olympics.
- Track & Field
- Walks — A new marathon race walk event will make its debut at the 2024 Olympic Games, replacing the men's 50km race walk. Each team of one male and one female will compete two legs of just over 10km each, alternating male, female, male, female, for a complete marathon distance of 42.2km (26.2 miles).
- Marathon — The marathon race order has been changed from tradition, the women's marathon will be the final event, the men's marathon taking place the day before.
- Triathlon — no changes.
- Volleyball (indoor, beach volleyball ) — no changes to either sport.
- Weightlifting — Compared to Tokyo, two weight categories has been removed from each of the men's and women's competition, reducing the total gold medals available from 14 to ten. A total of 120 weightlifting quota places are available (60 men, 60 women), almost eighty fewer overall than those in Tokyo 2020.
- Wrestling (Greco-Roman and Freestyle) — there are no changes to wrestling for 2024.
Related Pages
- Changes to sports for each Olympiad
- Complete List of Sports for Paris 2024
- List of sports in pictures
- List of sports for each Olympiad
- Number of Olympic medals available to be won
- How sports are selected for the Olympics
- Sports of the 2028 LA Olympics
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