Leon Glatzer rides a wave, Lilly Stoephasius skates through an urban park in Tokyo, and Alexander Megos hangs spectacularly on the climbing wall: The new Olympic disciplines promise action-packed images and are intended to transfer the lifestyle of young athletes in particular to the traditional wrestling festival. For many surfers, skateboarders or climbers, the inclusion of their sport in the Olympic program is a great enrichment – even if some of the stars of these sports, above all the US climber Alex Puccio, cannot do much with the Olympic competition requirements and therefore do not participate .
Many surfers in particular find that their sport associated with a relaxed lifestyle does not go well with the Olympics. On the other hand: If sports become Olympic, funding and structures improve. “I really benefited a lot,” says Leon Glatzer, who is the only German surfer to have sensationally qualified for the Olympics, with a view to the structures created in recent years. “We have a really tough team. I couldn’t do it alone.”
Getting more young people excited about the Olympics
In other sports, too, there are hopes for positive effects such as improved training conditions or greater influx through participation in Tokyo. The organizers of the Olympics are counting on the hip disciplines and their cool representatives to attract even more young people to the Games. The executive board of competitive sports of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) supports the inclusion of new disciplines in the program of the games. “The IOC has to keep up with the times with a mixture of traditional and modern sports, and it does so,” said DOSB competitive sports director Dirk Schimmelpfennig.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
