Skateboarding, Sport Climbing and Canoe explained

One of the wonderful things about the Olympic Games is the wide and varied events showcased. While we love the 100m sprint, the Games offer the spotlight to some sports not always given a chance to shine.
We’ve picked three sports we think will be a huge hit in Paris and broken them down for you so you can follow along when the medals are handed out.
Watch the videos at the top of the page for the full breakdown.
Sport climbing
Sport climbing made its debut at Tokyo 2020, where Spain’s Alberto Gines Lopez and Janja Garnbret of Slovenia took home the sport’s first-ever gold medals.
Two Aussies, Campbell Harrison and Oceana Mackenzie,
will both compete in the combined lead/boulder events
.
Sport climbing features three key disciplines — speed, boulder and lead — which each have their own skillsets and custom climbing walls.
Unlike at Tokyo 2020 – where the athletes had to compete in all three disciplines for a shot at gold, at Paris 2024 – the disciplines have been split into two events. This means this year there are four medals on offer – two for speed and two for boulder and lead combined.
READ MORE:
Medal hopes, venues, times and more: Everything you need to know about Paris 2024
Canoe
One of the most memorable highlights for many Aussie fans during Tokyo 2020 was Jess Fox’s impressive gold medal win during the C1 slalom final. This year, at Paris 2024, Fox is back alongside her sister Noemie and more than a dozen Aussies set to compete in canoe slalom and canoe sprint events.
There are two canoe sports at the Olympics – canoe slalom and canoe sprint. Within each sport there are both kayak and canoe events.
The events are named according to the number of people competing in each boat and the type of boat being used. For example, the men’s K4 500m is a kayak race with four people in the boat.
In a canoe, the athletes are in a kneeling position inside the boat with a single-bladed paddle used to steer and propel the canoe forward. In a kayak, the athletes are seated instead, and use a double-bladed paddle to propel themselves forward.
READ MORE:
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Skateboarding
Olympic skateboarding was one of five sports that debuted at Tokyo 2020.
Japanese skaters dominated in their home country, scoring three of the four gold medals on offer. Momiji Nishiya was just 13, winning gold in the women’s street final.
Aussie Keegan Palmer took
home the gold
for the men’s park event with a stunning 95.83 winning run that featured an impressive kickflip varial 540. The 18-year-old said his winning tricks were learned during the coronavirus lockdown, when the pandemic had shutdown skating competitions.
READ MORE:
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Olympic skateboarding is made up of two key disciplines: street and park. The two events take place on different courses and require different skill sets.
The street course is designed to replicate a real-world urban landscape, with skaters navigating stair sets, handrails, benches and ledges, alongside traditional skatepark elements like quarter pipes.
The course for park events is a hollowed-out concrete bowl with distinctive design features like set-back walls, elevation changes and variable grinding surfaces. It allows the skaters to gain impressive speed and height to perform tricks mid-air.
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. Plus, every event ad-free and in 4K on

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