Every four years, the Summer Olympics shine a spotlight on some of the oldest known sports – events like track and field or wrestling, whose roots date back more than a century.
But in recent years, the Olympics have also featured new, exciting sports too. And that’s where breaking comes in.
Breaking, more commonly known as breakdancing, is part of the new wave of sports that the International Olympic Committee has ushered in as part of a broader effort to appeal to younger fans and add an urban flair to the Summer Games. It follows the addition of sports such as skateboarding and surfing, which debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
When did breaking become an Olympic sport?
Breaking is the only new sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and it has not been included in the initial sports program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
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That means breaking could very well be a one-and-done sport in the Olympics.
How does Olympic breaking work? What are the rules?
At the Olympics, the men’s and women’s breaking competitions will consist of a series of one-on-one battles, with each B-boy or B-girl trying to impress a panel of nine judges by executing a variety of moves. There are multiple rounds per battle, and in each round, competitors will try to land power moves – acrobatic spins, flips and the like – while also mixing in what is called “top rocking,” or dance elements performed while upright. They’re also judged on criteria such as ‘musicality’ and ‘vocabulary,’ which reflect how they interact with the music.
Though hip-hop is the soundtrack for every battle, competitors don’t know ahead of time what style or tempo of music the DJ will play during each round. The top performers are able to both practice and prepare specific combinations of moves, but then adapt to the style of the music. Creativity is one of the key criteria for judging, which is fairly subjective.
Who are the top Team USA athletes in breaking?
Victor Montalvo, who competes as B-boy Victor, qualified for Paris by winning the 2023 world championships in Belgium. He’s been competing for more than a decade and is widely considered to be one of the top competitive breakers in the world. B-boy Jeffro will be the other American man in the field after he nabbed a late qualifying spot.
Sunny Choi (or B-girl Sunny) and Logan Edra (or B-girl Logistx) will represent Team USA on the women’s side. Choi won the 2023 Pan American Games, while Edra has had past success in Red Bull’s international breaking competition, BC One.
What’s the international landscape in Olympic breaking?
Breaking was born in the Bronx in New York, so it should come as no surprise that the U.S. is one of the sport’s dominant powers. But Japan, led by veteran B-boy Shigekix, is also consistently toward the top of the pack and figures to win at least one breaking medal in Paris. Canada, China, France and the Netherlands could also see their competitors in the medal mix.
How to watch breaking at the Olympics
The breaking competitions at the 2024 Paris Games will all be televised live on E!, with the women’s competition slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday and conclude with the finals, which start at 2 p.m. ET. The men’s competition will take place at the same times Saturday.
