ABSTRACT
Research to date on the impact of Olympic inclusion on action sports in national settings is limited, and most have focused on sports which have been subsumed under existing National Sport Organisations (NSOs) such as BMX and snowboarding. In this chapter we explore the challenges at the national level for the athletes, self-governing national organisations, and the wider national sports systems in which they are now embedded. Focusing on multiple-cases, we offer a detailed comparison across sports and countries to show responses to the multiple and different challenges, and opportunities in adapting to becoming Olympic sports. Our case studies reveal vastly different statuses and funding, and levels of professionalisation across these action sports and countries (i.e., Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, China, USA), impacting how the NSOs have been able to manage the transition to being an Olympic sport and the opportunities for athletes. They also highlight that rather than increasing diversity and opportunities across nations, Olympic inclusion may indeed be having the opposite impact.
