A reform in the Olympic movement has sparked a new trend in Chinese sports. Once considered rebellious and niche, sports like breakdancing, climbing, skateboarding and surfing have now entered the mainstream.
In this process, a group of Chinese youth, born in the 2000s, have embarked on a journey to pursue their Olympic dreams. They have become pioneers in their fields: these sports have been growing freely at the grassroots level, with a weak professional foundation, and the entire system needs to be built from scratch. They have also faced growing pains: the disciplined and efficient training model of competitive sports sometimes clashes with the laid-back, free, and non-competitive lifestyle these sports often embody.
Over two and a half years, Xinhua reporters followed six athletes from four emerging sports, accompanying them all the way to the Paris arena.