The glocalization of parkour: a New Zealand/Aotearoa case study

Abstract

Globalization has led to the increased sportization of parkour, one of the world’s newest lifestyle sports. This paper investigates the parkour scene in New Zealand, where attempts to develop and support parkour have resulted in the formation of a national governing body (NGB). Parkour NZ, formed in 2011 by local practitioners and the first NGB for parkour to be registered as a charity, is undergoing increased sportization in both traditional and unique ways. We examine the motivations that inspired its formation, registration as a charity and some of the ways it has negotiated the sportization process while accounting for New Zealand parkour community values. Our case study adds to understandings of glocalization and sportization of informal lifestyle sports, and highlights how parkour practitioner values are negotiated within new organizational spaces.

Acknowledgements

We are thankful for contributions from Eugene Minogue (Chief Executive, Parkour UK), Ahmed Al-Breihi (Parks/Halls & Facilities Manager, Parkour & Tricking Sweden) and Sacha Lemaire (President, French Parkour Federation), as well as the many NZ parkour participants, who supported this project by providing their time and insights.

Notes

1. The original name for parkour used by the founders was ‘l’art du deplacement’, the art of movement. This is the preferred term/discipline of 5 of the original founders, though is less popular outside of French speaking nations. The later names, parkour – an Anglicisation of ‘parcours’, the French word for route/course, taken from ‘parcours du combattant’, the military obstacle course, and closely tied to David Belle’s pursuit of his father’s training practices (see Belle 2009) – and freerunning – a term created for the documentary Jump London and the embodiment of Sebastian Foucan’s more inclusive training philosophy (Angel 2011), often described as parkour plus flips – are the more popular terms/disciplines. In this article parkour is primarily used as an umbrella term including parkour and freerunning.

2. The articles we reference use different terminology e.g. action sports, and this volume itself also uses the term ‘action sport’. In this paper, however, we have chosen to use the term ‘lifestyle sport’ as it more closely reflects the way practitioners talk about parkour.

3. On the indoorization of outdoor sports, see van Bottenburg and Salome (2010).

4. In NZ, all incorporated societies are non-profits, but charitable status (tax exemption) is a separate process.

5. Handbook for New Employees – A fearless adventure in knowing what to do when no one’s there telling you what to do’ (2012).

6. Parkour NZ does not specifically operate services targeting problem gamblers or addiction in general, but the organization believes that parkour can nonetheless be life changing, with staff who count parkour as the catalyst for their own freedom from addiction.