No, parkour is not an Olympic sport. It isn’t on the programme for the Los Angeles 2028 Games, and as of late October 2026 the sports list for Brisbane 2032 hasn’t been finalised, with the IOC planning a smaller programme than LA’s. Parkour is competed internationally, though: it has been part of the World Games since 2022, and the International Gymnastics Federation runs its own parkour competitions. The push for Olympic inclusion has also split the parkour community.
Is Parkour in LA 2028?
No. The LA 2028 programme has 36 sports, including five added by the local organisers: baseball and softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash. Parkour isn’t among them.
What About Brisbane 2032?
Still undecided, but the odds aren’t in parkour’s favour. In March 2025, the IOC said the initial sports programme for Brisbane 2032 would be decided at an IOC Session in 2026, and that Brisbane’s organisers could later propose events from new sports. In May 2026, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said Brisbane is expected to have fewer sports than the 36 at LA 2028, and that the full sports list could be confirmed around December 2026.
In June 2026 the IOC approved the process for evaluating sports and disciplines, rather than the list itself. Under the candidate discipline process published in August 2026, each federation already on the programme can propose one additional discipline, and Brisbane’s organisers can propose additional sports and disciplines too.
A Games that’s shrinking is a hard place for a new discipline to break in. If parkour were to appear, it would most likely be as an additional discipline, proposed either by FIG or by Brisbane’s organisers. There’s no public sign of either so far.
Why the Parkour Community Is Split
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has worked to develop parkour as a new gymnastics discipline. According to Wikipedia’s account, most of the parkour community reacted negatively, and the hashtag #wearenotgymnastics spread. Several national governing bodies formed Parkour Earth in 2017 to oppose FIG.
In December 2020, as the IOC prepared to finalise the Paris 2024 programme, Parkour Earth urged the IOC in an open letter to reject parkour, describing FIG’s involvement as an ongoing takeover of its sport. FIG, for its part, called its work with parkour groups “a natural fit”. NBC Sports also noted another hurdle: the IOC’s policy of keeping the total athlete quota fixed, which makes adding new competitors difficult.
For many traceurs, the disagreement goes deeper than governance. Parkour grew up as a non-competitive practice, a point we explore in Parkour vs. Freerunning: The Real History Behind the Split.
Where Parkour Is Competed
- The World Games. Parkour joined the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, as an official sport with four medal events. It returned at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, with men’s and women’s speed and freestyle events.
- FIG Parkour World Championships. FIG has run world championships in parkour, such as the 2022 edition.
- Independent events. Wikipedia lists competitions such as the World Parkour Championship and Red Bull Art of Motion among the sport’s notable tournaments.
Competitive parkour is usually split into speed (a timed run through a course) and skill or freestyle (judged tricks and flow).
Frequently Asked Questions
Was parkour in the Paris 2024 Olympics?
No. According to Topend Sports, FIG pushed for it ahead of Paris, but it wasn’t added to the programme.
Will parkour ever be in the Olympics?
It’s possible but uncertain. The governance dispute is unresolved, and the IOC is trying to make the Games smaller rather than bigger. Its World Games appearances show it can be run as a competitive sport.
Do I need to compete to do parkour?
Not at all. Most people train parkour for fitness, fun and the challenge, with no competition involved. Start with How to Start Parkour Safely.
Where to Go Next
Learn the language of the sport with our Parkour Glossary, and find out why so many people take up parkour in the first place.