As breakdancing, or breaking, is about to make its Olympic debut, the sport did not make it to the Paralympics. Some call out its exclusion, contrasting with the sport's egalitarian beginnings. Paralympic athletes will not be able to compete in breakdancing as the sport was excluded from this year's event — unlike in the Olympic Games, where it is set to kick off on Friday.
The newest sport in the Paris 2024 Olympics is a combination of dance and martial arts that has its roots in the working-class and underprivileged communities of New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. While including , one of France's biggest breakdancers with a disability as an Olympic torchbearer was celebrated, some called out the "subconscious prejudices" for excluding breakdancing — a sport all about equal opportunities — and its athletes from the Paralympics. "In the Paralympics, it is very noticeable that 'artistic' sports are excluded.
Possibly, this is because 'artistic' sport is related to 'beauty' in our cultural history," said the associate professor in Special Needs Education, Disability and Inclusion at the University of Exeter. Simon Hayhoe added: "Disability is not seen as 'beautiful' and so it appears that we exclude people from events where 'beauty' is prized and celebrated." Breakdancing, or breaking, has been practised for decades by people with disabilities.
Studies show that this art form can help with balance and overall mobility. "It is also potentially very socially incl.