PARKOUR: SPORT OR ART?

The word "parkour" comes from a French word for route or course; it is also the name of one of the world's fastest-growing activities. Parkour athletes, known as traceurs or traceuses, try to move across obstacles in the most dynamic and efficient way possible. They do not use any special equipment, and often parkour takes place across an ordinary urban environment of streets, stairs, walls, and rooftops. Athletes use acrobatic¹ jumps, rolls, and bounces to reach their chosen destination. The activity requires high levels of fitness, strength, balance, and coordination. However, it also requires creativity and imagination.

So should parkour be viewed as a sport or an art? Well, David Belle, who "invented" parkour in Paris in the 1980s, might be the man to ask. Although he based the activity on military training 10 exercises, martial arts, and dance, Belle believes the way parkour athletes think is of greater importance than how they move. Parkour has a strong philosophy of thinking in new ways and overcoming mental obstacles. Thus, many parkour athletes do not think of it as a "sport" at all. When asked who was the best in the world at parkour, traceur Ryan Doyle refused to answer. It was like asking, Doyle said, "What's the best song in the world?" Doyle's analogy reveals that the parkour philosophy treats the activity as expressive² rather than competitive in nature.

Nevertheless, parkour has become increasingly competitive-and commercial-as it's grown in popularity. After appearing in the 2004 action film District 13 by director Luc Besson, parkour gathered a large underground following, much like skateboarding. Predictably, capitalist corporations³ such as Coca-Cola soon realized the visual appeal of parkour and featured it in their advertisements; this led to it gaining an even greater following. Today, another beverage company, Red Bull, sponsors a large live competition, The Art of Motion. During this annual event in Vancouver, Canada, global athletes compete for medals and prize money.

The spectacular nature of parkour also makes it highly appealing to viewers online. It is perfect content for streaming sites, and the YouTube channel of STORROR-a group that practices collective parkour-has almost seven million subscribers⁴. Apparently, viewers revel in⁵ the way in which parkour athletes think quickly and move outside of normal parameters. As with other extreme sports, people also enjoy participating in parkour while avoiding the risk of injury: it features prominently in computer games such as Assassin's Creed, Minecraft, and Fortnite.

Parkour's unique characteristics saw it gain popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, parkour is a great alternative⁶ to team sports like football and baseball. At the same time, it allows athletes to get fit and develop mental skills, requires no special equipment, takes place outdoors, and can be done almost anywhere. John Hall, a parkour coach from Edinburgh, Scotland, saw a large increase in interest during the pandemic. Hall now regularly teaches one hundred children and fifty adults in small groups around the city. Like other traceurs, he is keen to point out that the idea of parkour is to improve both mind and body, something that made it an ideal cure for the depression⁷ and inactivity⁸ that resulted from the pandemic.

Some, it seems, are in no doubt about how to define parkour. When the 2024 Olympics were awarded to Paris, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) saw an opportunity: parkour, they thought, was "coming home." They immediately sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) asking that parkour be made an Olympic sport for 2024. Athletes from some sports might have been thrilled at the possibility of being included, but many members of the parkour community were less enthusiastic⁹. In fact, Parkour Earth, the main parkour representative group, sent a petition to the IOC asking that they reject the FIG's proposal¹⁰. Parkour, they argued, is not owned by the FIG and is not the same as other sports.

• parkour competitions
• grew in popularity
• increase strength
• competitive activity
• with companies
• a way of expressing

• parameter
• dynamic
• coordination
• analogy
• capitalist
• collective

Parkour and Gender

A 2020 US survey revealed that less than fourteen percent of those doing parkour are women. This number is growing, but why is it still so low?

Many male parkour athletes emphasize the philosophical, mental, and creative aspects of parkour. In truth, though, they often rely on upper body strength, a long reach, and considerable height to pull off their tricks. Even a quick look through parkour videos on YouTube shows that occasionally, instead of the creative activity David Belle meant it to be, parkour can also be about showing off one's bravery-or indeed one's biceps. As such, it might at times be fair to call it a rather "macho" activity. Now, however, several women from around the world are changing the perception of parkour as a male pastime.

One such athlete is Lynn Jung of Luxembourg. Jung grew up in an extremely sporty family and, as a young gymnast, competed at an international level for her country. Soon, however, other interests came to dominate her time. She became interested in ballet and contemporary dance and studied these at university in Innsbruck, Austria. While there, Jung also discovered parkour and found that her varied background made the activity a perfect fit for her. In fact, she was so successful that within a few years of leaving university, she had signed her first sponsorship deal and become a professional parkour athlete.

This didn't mean that Jung had to give up on her other interests, however. She maintains a strong interest in circus skills and even featured as a dancer in the 2018 movie version of the musical Cats. Although Jung is undoubtedly as strong as many men, perhaps all this goes to show that rather than just being athletic, parkour has a lot in common with activities that we consider creative or expressive.