Kiteboarding, breaking and kayak cross: The new Olympic events to look out for in Paris

Kid Karam (left), leading the charge to become Britain's first breakdancing Olympian, and Kimberley Woods (right) - reigning world champion in kayak cross. Credit: PA

A brand new sport and two new events will make their Olympic debut at this year's competition in Paris.

Ahead of each competition, several new sports or events are added to the Olympic programme.

Breaking, a new sport, and two new events - kiteboarding and kayak cross - are all being introduced this year.

More commonly known as breakdancing, breaking is a style of dance which originated at block parties in the Bronx during the 1970s.

It has since evolved into a competitive sport and during the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, it was chosen to debut at the 2024 Paris Games.

Breakdancer performing during the Urban Games. Credit: PA

Breaking falls under the urban category along with other non-traditional sports including skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing.

The dance is rooted in hip-hop with characteristic acrobatic movements including flips, complex footwork and head spins.

There will be 16 men and 16 women (known as "B-Boys" and "B-Girls") competing at the Olympics in a series of three one-minute one-on-one breakdancing battles where when as soon as one dancer finishes their opponent begins their routine.

The B-Boys and B-Girls will be scored by a panel of nine judges.

Their scores will be based on six key criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality.

Creativity and performativity hold the most weight (60%), while the other categories account for 40%.

Team GB's Karam Singh holds the record as the British number one in the sport and will embark on his mission to secure gold at Paris 2024.

Alongside the introduction of breaking, there will also be new Olympic events including kayak cross and kiteboarding.

Kayak and canoe races are already Olympic sports but kayak cross will be the first time kayakers compete against each other instead of the clock.

In an intense race which involves full contact, competitors battle for the finish line against downstream and upstream gates with the added requirement that they complete a 360-degree roll where their heads go underwater.

Favourite for the men's competition is Team GB's Joe Clarke, who has previously won three consecutive kayak cross world titles.

GB's Kimberley Woods is the reigning world champion in kayak cross and will also be competing this year.

While sailing has been an Olympic sport for over 100 years, this time around Kiteboarding has been added to the list of sailing events.

Kite surfing on Tynemouth beach Credit: PA

The sport involves competitors standing on a small racing board which is attached to a kite. They use the wind to propel themselves forward while maneuvering race courses.

British athlete Eleanor Aldridge won the 2023 Formula Kite European Championships and will be representing GB in Paris.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...