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Opinion | CrossFit: should IOC consider adding the functional fitness regime to Olympics?
- The often maligned sport, which hosts its own Games every year, could be a perfect fit for the International Olympic Committee
- While adding breakdancing and surfing to the roster has left some scratching their heads, CrossFit would be a sure-fire win
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It’s clear the International Olympic Committee is trying to be the “cool dad” when it comes to adding new sports to its roster.
Surfing, rock climbing and skateboarding will all make their debuts at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while breakdancing will appear at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. All of these sports trend towards younger audiences, with two of them (surfing and skateboarding) still X Games mainstays.
It’s tough to fault the IOC for wanting to try new things to help with the effects of sagging ratings and endless controversies. The IOC has also never been known for having its finger on the pulse. Indeed, it tried to pull wrestling from the 2020 Olympics programme, igniting such a backlash that it hastily reinstated the sport.
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But being the cool dad means you don’t really understand how to be cool. You’re just mimicking what the kids are doing and hoping for the best. A case in point: the breakdancing community is divided over the sport’s inclusion in Paris, with many notable “breakers” stating their displeasure publicly.
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Breaking has long been a part of the counterculture movement at its home in the US, and abroad. The Olympics have long represented the tired and the traditional, with events like equestrian and fencing (although popular here in Hong Kong) that fail to attract a fulsome generation of athletes any more.
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