To celebrate Paris 2024, we're diving into a few lesser-known sports. They may not get as much love, pomp, and flair, but still produce some of the most impressive feats of athleticism and where we design specialised shoes to optimise athletic abilities. 

Wrestling

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One of the original sports from the ancient Games, it appeared during the first modern Games in 1896. At Paris 2024, athletes will duke it out across various weight classes in two variants of the sport—Greco-Roman and Freestyle, the former being more traditional and the latter a contemporary take on the sport.

What to know​

⏳One of the oldest sports​

⭕Wrestlers compete on a circular mat​

💯Points are awarded for throws, holds and takedowns​

✌🏽2 types of wrestling events at Paris 2024—Freestyle for men and women, and Greco-Roman for men only​

Check out the Singapore Wrestling Federation's socials here.

Weightlifting

Also known as Olympic weightlifting, to distinguish it from other lifting sports like powerlifting, athletes have three attempts for each movement and aim to move the most weight on a barbell from the ground to overhead across the snatch and clean & jerk.

The snatch can be described as one swift movement from ground to overhead. The clean & jerk is a two-part move, where athletes lift the barbell from ground to shoulder height [front-rack position] before dipping under, getting it overhead and returning to the standing position.

What to know​

🏋🏽Athletes aim to lift the most amount of weight overhead in the snatch and clean & jerk​

3️⃣attempts for each lift​

⏺️Athletes must hold the weight overhead with their arms and legs straightened until receiving 3 white lights from judges that indicate a good lift​

⬆️The snatch is a continuous lift from ground to overhead while the clean & jerk is a two-part lift—the clean is the movement from ground to chest height and the jerk sees the athlete moving to get the bar overhead

Check out the Singapore Weightlifting Federation here.

Taekwondo​

The martial arts originating in Korea ​are a relatively new addition to the games. Known for their displays of power, agility and speed—taekwondo athletes react and strike in milliseconds to score points through kicks and punches to their opponent's body and head.

What to know​

🇰🇷Origins​

🛑8m octagonal field-of-play​

⏺️Athletes score points by landing kicks and punches to their opponent's head and body—1pt for punches to the body, 2pts for kicks to the body and 3 pts for kicks to the head​

🆚Every match comprises 3 x 2min rounds and can be won by knockout​

Check out the Singapore Taekwondo Federation here.

Boxing​

One of the most well-known combat sports, thanks to athletes like Muhammad Ali and, in more recent years, Manny Pacquiao, who transcended sports to pop culture​—Rocky and Creed, we're looking at you.

At Paris 2024, athletes compete across various weight classes and are judged based on their technical superiority or win by knocking out their opponent.

What to know​

⏹️6.1m square ring​

🆚Every match comprises 3 x 3min rounds​

⏺️5 judges determine the winner of each round based on blows, technical superiority and competitiveness, and can be won by knockout​

🥊Gloves are worn, and in the women's matches, headguards are worn​​

Check out Singapore Boxing Federation here.

And to commemorate the occasion, we've also got a limited edition Paris Collection featuring the G21 3 PRO, PG7 TRAVEL and 982 SKATE shoes in both men's and women's sizes.

By Matthew Leu