IT IS just eight years until Brisbane hosts the Olympic Games and a trend is growing among the next generation of athletes, who are turning their backs on traditional sports.
Action sports used to be a niche interest, but they are continuing to gain in popularity, with uptake in motocross, BMX, skateboarding, and surfing seeing a boost in participation.
In Australia, an estimated 196,000 individuals aged 15+ have taken up surfing, 119,000 have taken up skate sports since 2019, and with the success of young motocross riders, including Jett Lawrence, the sport also continues to build popularity.
Nine-year-old Ipswich local Jake Knighton is a prime example, having taken on motocross and showing what he can do on the track in the past few years.
He told Local Ipswich News the two reasons why it was his sport of choice – the adrenaline rush and the fact it is an individual sport.
“Motocross offers me an extreme thrill and sense of freedom,” Jake said. “When I hit jumps, I feel like I’m flying and I enjoy the physical challenge.”
“Unlike team sports, motocross emphasises individual performance and control. When I don’t do well, it’s on me, and I go back to the drawing board and work on my weakness.”
The man behind the success of Jake and other local riders is Gavin Heggs from Twist It Moto, who added his thoughts on the reasons for the drift away from traditional sports.
“I think the thrill for a non-traditional sport has become a lot easier to access and is being used as an outlet for some individuals with mental health struggles, or other diagnoses,” Mr Heggs said.
“For example, we teach students who have ADHD or ASD as an outlet to express their energy and it is being assisted by companies such as NDIS.
“The option to try a thrilling sport such as motocross is much more affordable in this case.
“It’s the ‘cool’ sports that everyone dreams of doing that are now being easier to achieve and have a go at.”
The Olympics has been the world’s premier sporting event for more than a century, with the Olympic Movement having faced many challenges, but what is often overlooked is how it has continually needed to evolve since the first modern games in 1896.
Today, arguably the most significant challenge for the Olympics is maintaining its appeal to modern audiences, particularly Generation Z.
To meet this challenge, the Olympic movement is undergoing something of a reinvention: adding new and unconventional sports in the hope of appealing to younger people.
The 2028 Olympics will feature cricket, baseball, softball, lacrosse, squash, and flag football.
