Mass. athletes, equal representation and breaking: What to watch for at this year’s Summer Olympics

A young Black woman, Simone Biles, performs a routine on a balance beam that says "Paris 2024." She has one hand raised high in the air, and one leg out long on the beam, she looks up. She wears a uniform with a red, white and blue firework pattern. — PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 25: Simone Biles of Team United States practices on the balance beam during a Gymnastics training session in the Bercy Arena ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

June Fergus is an intern for “Under the Radar with Callie Crossley.”

Andrea Asuaje is a producer with “Under the Radar with Callie Crossley.”Prior to her work at GBH, she was a senior producer and show runner at Rococo Punch; and a reporter, producer and co-host of WBUR’s radio series and podcast, Kind World.

July 26, 2024

This summer, 10,500 athletes from around the world will compete in 329 events in 32 sports at the Summer Olympic Games. The games, which take place through August 11, will be held in Paris and 16 other cities throughout France, plus Tahiti and French Polynesia.

And this year, for the first time in the history of the Olympics, there will be an equal number of men and women vying for the gold.

“Women did participate in a handful of sports in 1900 — only five events that were considered aesthetically pleasing, meaning women wouldn’t look too tired,” said Elise Hooper, writer and author of “Fast Girls: A Novel of the 1936 Women’s Olympic Team.”

“So we’re talking about sailing, equestrian, tennis, croquet and golf. But over the years, more and more pressure was applied to the International Olympic Committee. Until now, 128 years later, we have this nearly equal rate.”

Today, female athletes are at the forefront of competition, and gymnast Simone Biles is the can’t-miss competitor of the games.

“For anybody who wants to watch the Olympics, please mark your calendars for when she’s doing vault. I mean, the things that that woman does is just insane,” said Tara Sullivan, sports columnist for The Boston Globe. “She breaks the barrier all the time. She expands with her skill set, the joy with which she does it, the height she reaches, her floor routine. Some of her tumbling passes are just incomparable.”

For Massachusetts fans, some local favorites will be competing this year, including track and field star Gabby Thomas and gymnast Frederick Thomas. And there is a new sport making its debut this year: breaking, more commonly known as break-dancing.

“It’s a dance form, but it’s incredibly athletic and the athletic movements that are involved and the way that it’s scored, it just takes so much learning, and it’s different,” Sullivan said.

For Hooper, she’s hoping these Olympics offer viewers a chance to see just how far the world of sports has come since the first modern games.

“I hope, along with obviously having all kinds of successes in Paris, that people get more of a sense of how hard-fought a lot of these battles to see greater participation have been and maybe get a sense of the long history of struggle and also the ups and downs,” Hooper said.

GUESTS

Tara Sullivan, sports columnist for The Boston Globe

Elise Hooper, writer and author of “Fast Girls: A Novel of the 1936 Women’s Olympic Team”

June Fergus is an intern for “Under the Radar with Callie Crossley.”