Talk about breaking news: The sport of breaking, also known as breakdancing, is making its Summer Olympics debut at this year’s Paris Games. Hoping to lure younger audiences, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added breaking to the 2024 Summer Olympics lineup back in 2020, urged on by Paris 2024 organizers who were inspired by the 2018 Youth Olympics’ breaking competition in Buenos Aires, per The Associated Press . Now breaking is in the spotlight, especially with its impressive Paris 2024 venue: It joins 3×3 basketball, BMX freestyle cycling, and skateboarding at Paris’ Place de la Concorde, the city’s largest public square.
As the Paris 2024 website notes, breaking is “characterized by acrobatic movements, stylized footwork, and the key role played by the DJ and the MC during battles.” The dance style evolved out of hip-hop culture in the Bronx during the 1970s, and international breaking competitions got underway in the 1990s. “Athletes will use a combination of power moves — including windmills, the 6-step, and freezes — as they adapt their style and improvise to the beat of the DJ’s tracks in a bid to secure the judges’ votes and take home the first Olympic breaking medals,” Paris 2024 adds.
The Paris Games will feature breaking on August 9 and August 10 , with one breaking event for men (“b-boys”) and one for women (“b-girls”). Among the competitors are four breakers representing the United States: Sunny Choi, Victor Montalvo, Log.
