How breakdancing is set to steal the show in its Olympic Games debut at Paris 2024
The world’s best B-Boys and B-Girls are descending on Paris this summer as breaking makes its debut at the Olympic Games.
With its roots in 1970s New York City hip-hop culture, breaking (you might know it as 'break dancing') is like nothing ever seen before at the Olympics.
The fast-paced and dynamic sport is rapidly rising in popularity across the world and now has the chance to demonstrate exactly why.
Find out everything to know about breaking, including the rules, the favourites for Olympic gold and whether the sport is a permanent addition to the Games...
Why is breaking at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?
Breaking is the latest youth-focused sport to be added to the Olympic programme as organisers aim to make the Games more inclusive and accessible than ever before.
Other sports that have been added in an attempt to draw a younger audience to the Olympics include skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing, 3x3 basketball and BMX freestyle, all of which will return to the Games after featuring for the first time at Tokyo 2020.
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In addition, breaking was selected because it contributes to a gender-balanced Olympic Games, with an equal measure of B-Boys and B-Girls competing in the sport. This is now a key criteria for organisers when determining the Olympic programme.
A test run was held for breaking at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. The event was considered a great success and breaking was put forward as a sport for Paris 2024 shortly after.
What are the Olympic rules for breaking?
The breaking competition at Paris 2024 will feature two events — one for men and one for women. In total there will be 32 athletes — or ‘breakers’ — divided up into 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls.
They will compete in one-on-one battles, taking it in turns to perform during 60-second ‘throw downs’. Most major breaking competitions have two or three throw downs in each battle, increasing to five in the final.
The breakers are rated by a panel of judges, who are usually respected members of the breaking community. The performances are evaluated using six criteria — creativity, personality, technique, variety, stage presence and musicality.
Technique, stage presence, and creativity collectively contribute 60 per cent to the final score, while the remaining 40 per cent is determined by the other three criteria.
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The breaker with the highest score progresses to the next stage of the competition.
What are the main moves used by breakers?
The DJ is a crucial aspect of the sport, with breakers required to improvise to the beat of the music. They will combine three basic elements into their routine — toprock, freeze and downrock.
Toprock refers to all moves performed standing up, while freeze is when a breaker stops in the middle of their performance in an unusual position, such as on their hands or head.
Downrock is the most crucial element, as it refers to the moves performed on the floor. This includes power moves, which are considered the centrepiece of a routine. These acrobatic moves normally involve breakers spinning their whole body on their hands, elbows, back, head or shoulders, and require strength and flexibility.
Examples of power moves include head spins, flares and windmills. These moves can make breaking appear more similar to gymnastics than dancing.
When and where is the breaking competition at Paris 2024?
Breaking will be held on two days during Paris 2024 – August 9 and 10. It will be staged at Place de la Concorde, which is set to be transformed into an urban park for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Situated at the end of the Champs-Elysées, it will allow thousands of people to see spectacular Olympic sports up close and personal every day.
BMX freestyle, skateboarding and 3x3 basketball will also be held at the urban park at Place de la Concorde, along with exciting concerts, exhibitions and sports demonstrations.
Who are the favourites for Olympic breaking gold at Paris 2024?
Breaking at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be fiercely contested, but there are a number of competitors who are likely to stand out from the rest.
In the men’s event, B-Boy Victor is the hot favourite after winning gold at the 2023 World Breaking Championships. The American has also triumphed twice at Red Bull BC One, an annual international breaking competition.
Other contenders include Canadian B-Boy Phil Wizard, who clinched a world title in 2022 and finished with silver last year, and South Korea’s B-Boy Hong-10, the 2023 winner at Red Bull BC One.
B-Boy Menno is a breaking veteran and could well win a medal for Netherlands in Paris, while B-Boy Shigekix could do the same for Japan after finishing with bronze at the Youth Olympics.
In the women’s competition, the favourites include Japan’s B-Girl Ami, the 2022 world gold medallist and a two-time Red Bull BC One winner, and Lithuania’s B-Girl Nicka, the reigning world and European champion.
As in the men’s event, the United States has a good chance of a podium finish in the women’s competition through B-Girl Logistx.
Which breakers are representing Team GB at Paris 2024?
There will be no breakers representing Team GB in the women’s competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but there could be up to two British breakers in the men’s event.
B-Boy Sunni, B-Boy Sheku and B-Boy Kid Karam are all contesting the Olympic Qualifier Series in May and June. There will be 80 breakers competing in total, all battling it out for the 14 remaining places available at Paris 2024.
Each country can be represented by a maximum of two breakers in each competition, so even if all three of Britain’s B-Boys perform well enough, only the top two will gain a spot at the Olympics.
B-Boy Sunni is considered the leading British breaker, having won the UK B-Boy Championships twice and competed at Red Bull BC One multiple times. B-Boy Kid Karam also has a good chance of qualifying for the Olympics, having earned a silver medal at the 2022 European Breaking Championships.
Will breaking be at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games?
Breaking may be making its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, but it won’t feature at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
As a new sport, breaking needed to be proposed by the organising committee to be included on the programme. The Los Angeles 2028 organising committee instead decided to include baseball and softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash.
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This means breaking has been dropped from the Olympic programme before it has even had a chance to make its debut. World DanceSport Federation President Shawn Tay said he was “profoundly disappointed” by the omission, but revealed breaking is now targeting a return at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
If breaking goes down well at Paris 2024, then the Brisbane 2032 organising committee may be more tempted to include the new sport on its own programme.