Most sports fans are aware now that the Olympic Games schedule can, to some extent, change from one edition to the next. If it didn’t, sports that were contested a century or more ago – such as croquet, polo and even tug of war – would still be on the Olympic itinerary to this day!
The host nation for each edition of the Games is decided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who receive expressions of interest from potential hosts before deciding which bid best meets the criteria of a sustainable and environmentally-sound vision for the extravaganza. But as far as determining which sports feature at the Olympic Games, the process is a little more difficult to decipher.
Let the Games Begin
By our reckoning, there has been some 52 different sports contested at the Olympic Games since 1896. But, within some of that 52, there are multiple disciplines: so the generalised ‘aquatics’ category features swimming, diving, water polo and ‘artistic’ disciplines like synchronised swimming. In reality, the all-time Olympic itinerary is well in excess of 100 individual sports being contested.
Break Dancing in 2024
It seems like new disciplines are being added all the time too. Breaking, or break dancing to use its more common name, was included at the Paris Olympics in 2024. It was evidence of the IOC’s desire to appeal to a younger audience, perhaps attracting those from a non-traditional sporting background. However, it was a decision that seemed to backfire.
There was an outcry amongst some that more traditional sporting endeavours weren’t selected for the schedule, while the event itself became a global viral hit – not necessarily for the right reasons – due to the somewhat bizarre choreography of Australian entrant, Raygun. So much so, breaking was removed from the itinerary for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles; potentially never to return.
Skateboarding Added in 2020
Other new entries have been met with more positivity. Skateboarding, first introduced at Tokyo 2020, has been retained through Paris and into Los Angeles, while the edge-of-the-seat action of sport climbing – again introduced for the first time in 2020 – has been rewarded with four medal events in 2024 and 2028 as opposed to just two in its maiden outing.
Squash, Coastal Rowing, Lacrosse, Flag Football & Cricket in 2028
At Los Angeles, a handful of sports will make their Olympic debut. Squash, surprisingly, has never been contested at the Games, while coastal rowing will also make its bow. Lacrosse will return – that appeared at two editions in the early 20th century, while flag football (essentially a non-contact version of American football) will gets its first Olympic outing.
Perhaps the most needle-moving addition to the schedule will be cricket, which amazingly hasn’t been contested at the Olympics since the year 1900 – despite the fact that it’s one of the most-watched and played sports on the planet.
Most Frequent Sports to Feature
Of course, some sports are pretty much ubiquitous at the Olympic Games and will likely never be removed from the schedule – regardless of changing interests or the need to diversify the extravaganza and attract new audiences. Here’s a look at the most frequent sports to feature on the Olympic calendar:
Those that have featured in 32 different editions of the Olympic Games are the ever-presents: swimming, track & field athletics, fencing, artistic gymnastics and rowing are those sports that have been contested at every single hosting of the quadrennial showpiece. Track cycling has only missed out once – that was in 1912, while four different sports have been in the schedule for 30 editions of the Olympic Games: shooting, diving, football and Greco-Roman style wrestling.
To a modern audience, it might seem incredible that sports like fencing and rowing have such a long and continued Olympic history, while those today that we know as the most-watched and most-played – football, tennis, golf, basketball and cricket – have less of an illustrious heritage at the Games.
But that reflects the changes in taste and participation over the years; although, it should be said, sports like fencing and shooting do seem to be protected by the IOC as some form of traditionalism, as opposed to global interest in them. In theory, the Olympic itinerary is fluid and dynamic from one edition to the next, with the IOC given some licence to introduce new sports to reflect changing interests but also the local tastes of where the Games will be hosted next.
A Sporting Chance: How a New Sport Is Added
The first step on the journey to becoming an Olympic sport is to be recognised as exactly that by the IOC: it has to be considered a competitive sport, rather than merely a physical activity. The sport must also be governed by some kind of administrative body, who are responsible for implementing the World Anti-Doping Code; this is non-negotiable as part of the Olympic Charter. These are then called ‘International Federations’ by the IOC.
Before the sport can gain admittance to the Olympics, its federation must file a petition to the IOC, detailing why it should be added to the schedule. The IOC then ultimately makes a decision on whether it should be added or not, with three possible pathways available:
- As a standalone sport
- As a discipline within a sport (i.e. dressage as part of equestrian)
- As a competition within a discipline (i.e. the women’s 5,000m, which was added in 1996)
But here’s the rub: even after all of these boxes have been ticked, it’s still necessary for the sport to adhere to the requirements of the Olympic Charter.
What Is the Olympic Charter?
The Olympic Charter is the set of guidelines by which each edition of the Games is organised, establishing the principles of ‘Olympism’ and also becoming the legal framework which the IOC uses in case of disputes. A sprawling document of six chapters and 61 individual articles, the Olympic Charter also fulfils the function of determining which sports and International Federations are adopted by the Olympic movement, which some very specific boxes that must be ticked.
Must Be Unisex
Any such sport must be ‘unisex’ in nature, and participated in by men in more than 75 countries (and four continents) and by women in more than 40 countries and three continents. This, ultimately, prevents some ‘niche’ sports and those that are hyper local, such as kabaddi in India, from gaining admittance to the Olympics.
No ‘Mind Sports’
There are some other determining factors that decide whether a sport can be added to the Olympic roll call or not. The Charter dictates that purely ‘mind sports’ cannot be admitted; which explains why despite the World Chess Federation being recognised by the IOC, chess (as well as bridge) cannot be contested at the Olympic Games.
No Sports with ‘Mechanical Compulsion’
Also banned from the Olympic itinerary is any sport in which ‘mechanical compulsion’ is required. While F1, motocross and touring cars won’t be featuring at the Olympics any time soon, the likes of cycling and sailing can – the propulsion here is generated either by the individual participants or by the inclement weather conditions.
A Local Connection to the Host Country
Even with the strict regimen of the Olympic Charter, the IOC does have some freedom to update its itinerary of sports on a quadrennial basis. They have recognised the need for media and public interest, in terms of generating column inches and social media likes, but also in filling arenas and stadia with those keen to watch the action first hand.
That perhaps explains why breakdancing found its way onto the Olympic schedule in the first place, and why flag football will be making its debut in Los Angeles in 2028. You suspect that organisers would have loved to have American football on the itinerary – that’s pretty much a guaranteed gold medal for the United States, and is a sport that would easily have filled some of the huge venues in Los Angeles and around California.
Flag Football in Los Angeles 2028
However, despite the International Federation of American football being recognised by the IOC, the sport simply isn’t played in enough countries, by both genders, to secure admittance. Flag football is, therefore, seen as something of a compromise. The players wear a ribbon hanging from their shorts, and when this is removed by an opponent they are considered to have been tackled – bringing an end to that particular play.
Non contact in nature, flag football is more appealing to all ages and genders than the stylings of the NFL, although it would be contentious to suggest that the sport meets the criteria of the Olympic Charter: do men in 75+ countries (and four continents) really play flag football? And, do women in 40+ countries across three continents do likewise? It seems, where there’s a localised demand for a sport, the IOC is willing to put the charter away in a drawer for a while.
Cricket in Los Angeles 2028
Cricket will also be introduced for the first time in a long time at Los Angeles. You might not consider cricket to be a particularly American sport traditionally, but the fact the country co-hosted the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024 – which saw a number of stadia developed to international standards – and that participation levels are on the rise confirms why 2028 is the year for cricket to return to the Olympic schedule after more than a century.
However, those three host venues were on the eastern side of the country in Texas, Florida and New York – it will be interesting to see how Los Angeles shapes up as a cricketing city during the Games. Of course, this localisation of the Olympics is nothing new.
Breakdancing in Paris 2024
Breakdancing is considered to be an artistic offshoot of hip hop music, with the two going hand in hand together.The United States is considered the biggest ‘market’ for hip hop music on the planet, but the second? That would be, perhaps surprisingly, France. The introduction of breaking at the Paris Games raised more eyebrows than it might have had the wider context been known.
Karate in Tokyo 2020
Karate, meanwhile, appeared on the Olympic itinerary for the first time at the Tokyo Games, with eight different medal opportunities available. What is perhaps most surprising is that athletes from Asia didn’t dominate, with Japan and China winning just one gold between them.
You could, in that regard, accuse the IOC of populism, but it’s their desire for a local connection – as well as the Olympic Charter by which they abide – that ultimately gives us hints of what the future of the Olympic Games looks like.
Looking to the Future: Brisbane 2032
After Los Angeles, the Olympics will then head to Brisbane in 2032. If the local effect is to take hold, there are some quintessential Olympic sports that will almost certainly be on the schedule. According to attendance figures and viewership data in Australia, the five most popular sports in the country are:
- Australian Rules Football
- Rugby League
- Football
- Cricket
- Basketball
Football, cricket, and basketball are likely to be shoe-ins for Brisbane 2032, although Australian rules football will presumably be a non-starter – it’s just not played in enough countries to satisfy the Olympic Charter (assuming the IOC doesn’t go down the flag football route).
As for rugby league, that’s an interesting one. It would gain admittance to the programme as a discipline of rugby – the sevens format has been used in the Games for many years already. It’s quite possible that a smaller version of rugby league, featuring nine players instead of 13, may just find its way onto the itinerary for 2032.
Top 10 Sports in Australia
The IOC also uses participation levels of each sport in the host country as a guide to which may feature on the Olympic schedule. For Australia, the top-ten (as per 2023 data) are:
Football, golf, tennis, basketball: these are sports that are pretty much ringfenced at the Olympics. Netball, unfortunately, cannot be added to the roster as it isn’t played by enough men; similarly, Aussie rules football is not popular enough around the globe. Touch football is an interesting one: this is essentially the same as flag football, but with Australian Rules as opposed to American football. That could be one to watch out for in Brisbane.
Sports Approved by the IOC – Possible for 2036?
And then, to the future… at the time of writing, we don’t know where the 2036 Olympics will be held – although the suggestion is that Asia will be the host continent. To mark your card of what sports could technically feature on the schedule, here’s a list of International Federations that have been approved by the IOC already:
- Bandy
- Billiards
- Bowling
- Cheerleading
- Floorball
- Flying Disc
- Kickboxing
- Korfball
- Muaythai
- Netball
- Orienteering
- Polo
- Sumo
- Tug of War
Due to a lack of global popularity, or for failing to fulfil the Olympic Charter, it’s unlikely that many of these sports will be added to the itinerary in the near future. Perhaps the most intriguing ones, especially if the Olympics does head to Asia in 2032, will be muaythai and kickboxing – two sports that have origins on the continent.
Other sports that appeal to millennials and Gen Z, who will soon become the IOC’s primary focus, will also come under the spotlight. It’s highly doubtful that esports will make it to the Olympic Games – remember, the Olympic Charter calls for physical expertise, not just purely mind-based events. But footgolf? Paddleboarding? Pickleball? Padel? Ultimate frisbee? Who knows what the future has in store for the Olympic Games.