By: Tiffany Han

The Olympic Games started a long time ago in ancient Greece. They are a series of sports competitions with competitors from all over the world. At first, it was only one event, but over the years, the number of events have also increased. The most recently added event was breaking, and this year will be its first Olympics.

Breaking is also known as breakdancing, since it is a type of street dancing. It started in the 1970s in The Bronx, New York City. It’s an one-on-one competition where competitors show off a series of acrobatic moves stylishly improvised. Breakers are often called “b-boys” or “b-girls”. One particular b-girl stands out a lot. She is Sunny Choi.

Sunny Choi is from South Korea. Her upbringing made her very competitive. When she was young, she was a professional gymnast. In college, Choi once met her college’s breaking team. She was invited to attend a class. Her background as a gymnast gave her an advantage. As Choi graduated from college, she became a cosmetic executive. As a hobby, Choi still did breaking, and even attended international competitions.

When breaking became an Olympic event, many people were against it, saying that breaking isn’t a sport. Choi argues that breaking is every bit as athletic as sports like swimming and track. “There’s no doubt in my mind this is a sport,” Choi says to reporters. “Dance, art, sport,” she says. “All together.”

The next Olympics will be in Paris, France on Friday, July 26. Some people are against breaking being a sport, but many are looking forward to the Olympics. The breakers are happy about their sport getting recognition.