An Introduction to the World of Breaking, the Newest Olympic Sport!

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris was the first Olympic Games to feature breaking, a brand new sport category. Breaking has its roots in the 70s hip-hop scene in New York City and it consists of a dance style that emphasizes floor moves such as spinning on your back or head. The term “breaking” was coined by DJ Kool Herc from the Bronx who noticed that during the breaks in tracks people would experiment with dance moves. You may be tempted to call it “breakdancing” but this term was created by the media and athletes in this sport refer to it exclusively as breaking. Individuals who participate in this sport are called b-boys, b-girls or simply breakers. 

Breaking became popular on an international level due to the success of films such as Beat Street and Breakin’ from the 80s that centered around the dance style. In the 90s, breaking competitions began to take place around the world including the Battle of the Year in Germany. Red Bull also began to organize a competition circuit in 2001 that helped establish the dance as a competitive sport. In Buenos Aires in 2018, breaking was featured as a sport in the Youth Olympic Games. It was so popular that the IOC decided to make the sport an official Olympic category in 2020!

The b-girl competition took place on August 9th and the first b-boy competition was on August 10th. Breakers competed at the Place de la Concorde in the same venue as the BMX freestyle and skateboarding competitions. The 17 women and 16 men were broken up into small groups where they competed in dance battles. Their performances were scored on a variety of metrics including technique, musicality, and originality. The two best dancers of each group proceeded to the quarterfinals and then eventually the final where a winner was crowned! 

Representing France in the competition was Syssy (Sya Dembélé) who at 16 years old was one of the youngest competitors. She is known for her flexibility and willingness to try challenging moves during competitions. One of the top b-boys that competed was American Victor Montalvo. At 30 years old he has won many competitions including the 2023 World Breaking Championship. 

The new breaking competition is another way that the Paris Olympics has made history this summer!