Skateboarding made its Olympic debut as an optional sport in 2020, and it'll become a permanent fixture in 2028. But long before the Olympics caught on, skaters had already found their spot.
Back in the 1970s, London's South Bank was known for something other than tourists and river views: skateboarders, drawn to the smooth concrete and sloped walls of the Undercroft Skate Space. Decades later, an exhibit is celebrating that space — a hollowed-out concrete bowl with a cult following — through art, memorabilia, and film.
The Undercroft is where a generation of skaters learned the sport (safety gear very much included). But for years, this free public space faced a real threat: developers tried repeatedly to shut it down or move skaters elsewhere.
The skaters didn't budge. Their persistence paid off — the space was saved, renovated, and eventually celebrated as a landmark. Today, skaters and BMX riders of every age still roll through the Undercroft, part of a community it helped build.
If humans have the Olympics, robots have their own ultimate showdown: the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, China. It’s a high-energy mix of sport and science where humanoid robots sprint, box, and compete in athletic challenges designed to test just how “human-like” they really are.
But this isn’t just for fun (though it definitely looks fun to watch). Engineers use the competition to push their robots to the limit — testing speed, balance, coordination, and decision-making. Every stumble or success helps them figure out how to build smarter, stronger machines for the future. There’s prize money and recognition on the line too, which helps fuel a fast-growing robotics industry already backed by billions of dollars.
And no, this doesn’t mean robot athletes are about to take over your school sports day. Experts say humanoid robots are still mostly heading toward factories and specialized jobs — not everyday life. So for now, the biggest robot “athlete” you’ll probably meet is still your vacuum cleaner doing laps around the living room.
In Should Esports Be an Olympic Sport?, some wonder if competitive gaming should join the Olympics, which could give it global recognition. While esports already has huge international competitions, the Olympic Committee isn’t interested in these games yet. But with esports growing fast and players making millions, some say it doesn’t even need the Olympics to succeed! This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
The article "What Were the Ancient Olympics Like? Take a Visit to the Games of 436BC" from BBC's HistoryExtra is a time-travel guide to one of the greatest sporting events of the ancient world. With vivid descriptions of travel, food, competition, and cultural traditions, readers explore the five-day festival in Olympia. From brutal pankration to sacred feasts for Zeus, the ancient Games come vividly to life.
Skateboarding made its Olympic debut as an optional sport in 2020, and it'll become a permanent fixture in 2028. But long before the Olympics caught on, skaters had already found their spot.
Back in the 1970s, London's South Bank was known for something other than tourists and river views: skateboarders, drawn to the smooth concrete and sloped walls of the Undercroft Skate Space. Decades later, an exhibit is celebrating that space — a hollowed-out concrete bowl with a cult following — through art, memorabilia, and film.
The Undercroft is where a generation of skaters learned the sport (safety gear very much included). But for years, this free public space faced a real threat: developers tried repeatedly to shut it down or move skaters elsewhere.
The skaters didn't budge. Their persistence paid off — the space was saved, renovated, and eventually celebrated as a landmark. Today, skaters and BMX riders of every age still roll through the Undercroft, part of a community it helped build.
If humans have the Olympics, robots have their own ultimate showdown: the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, China. It’s a high-energy mix of sport and science where humanoid robots sprint, box, and compete in athletic challenges designed to test just how “human-like” they really are.
But this isn’t just for fun (though it definitely looks fun to watch). Engineers use the competition to push their robots to the limit — testing speed, balance, coordination, and decision-making. Every stumble or success helps them figure out how to build smarter, stronger machines for the future. There’s prize money and recognition on the line too, which helps fuel a fast-growing robotics industry already backed by billions of dollars.
And no, this doesn’t mean robot athletes are about to take over your school sports day. Experts say humanoid robots are still mostly heading toward factories and specialized jobs — not everyday life. So for now, the biggest robot “athlete” you’ll probably meet is still your vacuum cleaner doing laps around the living room.
In Should Esports Be an Olympic Sport?, some wonder if competitive gaming should join the Olympics, which could give it global recognition. While esports already has huge international competitions, the Olympic Committee isn’t interested in these games yet. But with esports growing fast and players making millions, some say it doesn’t even need the Olympics to succeed! This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
The article "What Were the Ancient Olympics Like? Take a Visit to the Games of 436BC" from BBC's HistoryExtra is a time-travel guide to one of the greatest sporting events of the ancient world. With vivid descriptions of travel, food, competition, and cultural traditions, readers explore the five-day festival in Olympia. From brutal pankration to sacred feasts for Zeus, the ancient Games come vividly to life.