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Breakdancing Will Be An Official Olympic Sport At 2024 Paris Games

Breakdancing Will Be An Official Olympic Sport At 2024 Paris Games

The decision was made to attract a younger audience to the Olympics.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games has added a new sport to its roster and it's set to be an absolute doozy.

Breakdancing has officially been added as an Olympic sport and will make its debut in four years.

The decision was confirmed by the International Olympic Committee on Monday (7 December) in a bid to attract a younger audience.

PA

But don't expect it to be referred to as 'breakdancing' when athletes take to the stage.

According to Sky News, the sport will be called 'breaking' - for a reason that isn't yet entirely clear.

It was first proposed after breakdancing proved a success when it was trialled at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

When the games come to Paris, the dance-offs will take place at a downtown venue alongside sport climbing and 3v3 basketball.

PA

Speaking about the decision, Logan 'Logistx' Edra, 17, told Sky: "It can resonate with a lot of people because hip-hop culture resonates with a lot of people, hip-hop music resonates with a lot of people.

"It being in the Olympics, it makes sense that people would refer to it as (a sport) but I think one thing for the breaking community is we want to make sure that it's not known as just a sport but an art, a sport, a culture."

Competitive breakdancer Ronnie Abaldonado also added: "The biggest part is your stage presence and character and your rhythm, whether or not you're really feeling it.

"People can hit the moves but if you're not feeling what they're doing then you just kind of look robotic and that's what kind of separates it being a sport to it being an art form."

PA

Talking about what breaking will look and sound, Richard 'Crazy Legs' Colon told Rock The Bells: "It'll be all original music. They'll be paying different producers, DJs, and b-boys, to create new breakbeats as opposed to everyone thinking that it always has to be the same old classic old school breakbeats."

He went on to add: "They have to have character, rhythm, explosiveness, power moves, and a foundation. They have to be fundamentally sound when it comes to the dancing.

"We are judging based on a complete presentation. So you can't just go in there and just flip, flip, spin, spin, spin, and never dance. You have to dance."

He concluded: "For me, I'm not going to call it a sport. I think with, and out of respect for the Olympic platform and it being their platform, I think there's going to have to be some compromise.

"I think a lot of this is still about educating the Olympics, IOC and whatever federations from each country on what the terminologies honour the culture. I think that because of breaking being so unique, it should not be renamed by outsiders just because it's on their platform."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: SPORT, olympics