By: Ethan Ding

Breaking, a new Olympic sport, is debuting at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics on August 9th and 10th. It’s a competitive form of breakdancing, quite different from what you might expect.

The Olympics first recognized breaking at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. Due to its success there, it has now graduated to the 2024 Paris Games. Thirty-two athletes will compete (16 in the men’s and 16 in the women’s competitions). They’ll be divided into four groups of four initially. The competitors are scored based on five categories: musicality, vocabulary, originality, technique, and execution. Some of the favorites are world champion Victor Montalvo and former world champ Phil Wizard for the men and Ami Yuasa and B-Girl Nicka for the women.

*Breaking traveled to nooks and crannies worldwide, first through movies like “Beat Street” (1984) and international demonstrations performed by the Rock Steady Crew and Mighty Zulu Kingz. Technology like VHS tapes, DVDs, and video platforms like YouTube allowed breakers around the world to learn moves and iterate new ones.

“That’s why I love it so much because it’s never the same,” said Menno van Gorp, who will represent the Netherlands. “It’s always about innovating and re-innovating. It’s a creative expression, and new ideas bring new ideas, and it’s just a nonstop thing.”

This spring, at Red Bull’s Lords of the Floor competition, we watched Olympians bust out some of the moves they’ll showcase at the Summer Games and asked experts how some of breaking’s roots will be displayedin Paris.

There are 32 athletes, and the 16 b-boys and b-girls are: J Attack (Australia), Phil Wizard (Canada), Dany (France), Lagaet (France), Hiro10 (Japan), Shigekix (Japan), Amir (Kazakhstan), Billy (Morocco), Lee (Netherlands), Menno (Netherlands), Lithe-ing (China), Hongten (Korea), Quake (Chinese Taipei), Kuzya (Ukraine), Jeffro (USA), Victor (USA), Raygun (Australia), Senorita Carlota (France), Syssy (France), Anti (Italy), Ami (Japan), Ayumi (Japan), Nicka (Lithuania), Elmamouny (Morocco), India (Netherlands), Ying Zi (China), 671 (China), Vanessa (Portugal), Manizha (EOR), Kate (Ukraine), Stefani (Ukraine), Logistx (USA), and Sunny (USA).

The breaking will start from August 9 to August 10.

*New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/08/05/arts/dance/breaking-paris-olympics.html