Los Angeles, CA, USA

Parkour takes the plunge 
at the Olympic Games 

Born in the Paris suburb, Parkour is becoming more and more popular and will maybe be included in the Olympic program in LA en 2028

Free running or Parkour, do you know it? If not you have to. And quickly! The Olympic Games that will take place in Los Angeles in 2028 will maybe allow Parkour, for the very first time, as an Olympic subject. This urban sport is born in France beginning of 1980, in the heart of big building areas in the Parisian suburb in Evry and Lisses, in Essonne. «Parkour is a physical activity, you have to move with agility and efficiency thanks to your own physical capacities in different types of urban places» explains the international federation. «The Parkour athlete moves his body with control thanks to few training methods like racing, obstacle jumps, jumps, climbing». The Californian city has a topology that fits perfectly this sport with jumps, races, physical spins. The city is thinking about including this sport in its 2028 program, just like Paris 2024 with breakdance.

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The first world games in September 2019 in Budapest have shown the great dimension of this sport. « Parkour like others, are interesting sports practises. Many sports actors think it is not a sport, it is seen as a UFO. The president of the International Gymnastics Federation has shown an interest in this physical activity and also the international Olympic committee. «Open the range of possibilities is as interesting as inventing new things that don’t exist.» says Patrick Roult, High-Level Pole manager in Insep Paris (Sport and Performance National Institute, in France).

July 2020

DECATHLON USA