Nathan Chen, Scott Hamilton and Nastia Liukin Reveal Which Other Sports They'd Want to Compete In (Exclusive)

The 2024 Paris Olympics open this week, with hundreds of athletes competing in 32 sports, including the newest addition breaking (breakdancing).

PEOPLE caught up with legendary Olympians including gymnasts NadiaComăneci and Nastia Liukin and skating stars Nathan Chen and Scott Hamilton ahead of the Games and asked them which other sports they'd want to compete in.

Fun fact, 139 athletes have competed in both the Summer and Winter Games throughout Olympic history.

Could we see Nathan Chen the gymnast or Alex Ross the snowboarder?

See all their fun answers, below:

"I grew up doing gymnastics, so I'd definitely find myself doing more of that. Skating is a little bit less 'dangerous' in my eye but gymnastics would be cool," said Nathan Chen, the two-time gold medalist from the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

"Gymnastics," Scott Hamilton, the 1984 men's figure skating champion, quipped. "I'm too short for anything else. And gymnast Bart Conner and I are brothers from another mother. We're so close as friends and I've always been a big fan of gymnastics."

"Figure skating, since it's the equivalent of gymnastics," said 5-time medalist Nastia Liukin. "But I don't like the cold, that's the problem! I would really struggle with that. But I would be there for the looks.""And tennis! I know it's not an Olympic sport yet, but pickleball. It's honestly been the first sport I've gotten into and enjoyed even though I'm not good. It's fun to play with friends and you can do it for so long whereas gymnastics unfortunately, you have to do it every day just to do something simple."

"I feel it would be fun to still be teammates, so mixed doubles tennis," said Maia Shibutani, a two-time ice dance bronze medalist with her brother Alex. "But then, also the women's water polo team is super strong, so even though I'm not good they would make me look good," she joked.

"I'm very flattered that Maia would keep me on as a teammate so I'd have to echo that sentiment," Alex ad -

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ded. "Mostly because I know I wouldn't be successful by myself, so mixed doubles tennis would be cool. I'm a big basketball fan."

"I would say that I wish I played tennis," said Alix Klineman, one half of the gold medal-winning beach volleyball duo from the 2020 (2021) Summer Games. I love that it can be individual or a team. You can travel but also play domestic. The prize money is good, the outfits are great. I played when I was really young. It's going to be my retirement sport."

"I would say tennis," April Ross said, echoing her partner. "The thing I'm next best at might be snowboarding. But I love watching tennis, I follow the Break Point series. In my head, it would be the funnest sport to play and I want to get into it, but I haven't yet."

"I've been dabbling in martial arts so maybe judo," 1992 Olympic figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi said. "I'm sad that karate is not still in the Games. I do kung fu for mind, body and spirit. When I stopped skating I realized how much my mind and body were missing that kind of connection and learning and retaining and recalling — so that's been really helpful and a lot of fun."

"It's been completely humbling and challenging," she added. "I started it as a self-defense class and I just continued on."

"Volleyball! In terms of team sports, I love volleyball, whether beach volleyball or on the court," diver Greg Louganis said. "If I were to be in a team sport, that's what I would gravitate towards."

"Figure skating or diving," said Comăneci, the 5-time gymnastics gold medalist. "Because it's the same thing,"

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come topeople.comto check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up forGoing for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.

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