Why Aren’t Skating and Other Traditional Sports Part of the Olympic Games?

For the 2024 Olympic Games, parkour could be considered one of the new sports in these fairs, an aspect that raised many doubts and controversies against the International Olympic Committee, the body that is in charge of giving the go-ahead to the disciplines.

You can also read: Parkour: The New Sport that Would be in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

With the possible arrival of this non-traditional sport, the question arises again why traditional disciplines are not part of the JJ. ooh? In this article we will tell you the reasons why skating, squash, American football and other competitions will not be in the next Olympic Games.

Parkour yes, roller skating no

With the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, less than a year away, it became clear again the requirements that the sports that want to arrive for this event must have. One of the aspects that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) emphasizes the most is that all the disciplines that are within these jousts must be highly practiced in at least 75 countries.

With this requirement, parkour as an Olympic sport was harshly criticized by many experts, who commented that the arrival of these unconventional disciplines is taking away the possibility of other more important competitions, such as skating.

Despite these criticisms, the IOC is clear with its position that skating currently has a clear hegemony on the part of Colombia and the United States, which is why it is considered an unbalanced sport to reach these fairs. This is the most weighty argument on the part of the organizers of the Olympic Games, which are giving an open letter to competitions that have been on the rise in recent years.

What does it take to be an Olympic sport?

Over the years, the IOC has certain requirements for a sport to enter the Olympic Games, a procedure that can take more than eight years, since, for all these managers, the requirements must comply with a certain process. That is why, since 2008, the leaders of each skating federation work hard to have this discipline within the next fairs.

For the International Olympic Committee, Olympic sports must be widely practiced in a minimum of 75 countries and four continents by men, and in a minimum of 40 countries and three continents by women. Likewise, these disciplines have to adapt and correctly apply the World Anti-Doping Code.

Another aspect to take into account is that after having gone through this long process, all sports are evaluated by a group of voters, who give their final verdict. It is at this point that skating is left at the gates of the Olympic Games, since, in these, it failed to add the necessary votes to be accepted as an Olympic competition.

The reasons why skating and other traditional sports do not get the necessary votes can be various. Some experts point out that, in this kind of sports, many powers do not have outstanding representatives, so it is not positive for them to give an open letter to these new competitions.

Likewise, the money that the IOC gives to the countries with the most medals in the Olympic Games plays a fundamental role in this type of decision. With so much money at stake, the great powers try to endorse competitions in which their compatriots are strong, an aspect that leaves sportsmanship aside and focuses solely on inequality.

What alternatives are left?

Seeing that skating clearly does not meet all these requirements, the International Olympic Committee proposed a series of ideas for this sport to enter from the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. In order to solve this problem, the sport will have to readjust its number of events, and of participants, in order not to award so many medals in these competitions.

In addition to this, the arrival of new sponsors is being considered, which can promote this sport and give it the possibility of reaching the big television networks, in order to make all its competitions more famous. If these aspects are met, the International Olympic Committee considers that skating and other traditional sports may be accepted for the next jousts to be held in 2028.