Breakdancing set for Olympic debut in Paris 2024
Dec 08, 2020
Lausanne [Switzerland], December 8 : Elite breakdancing, also known as breaking, is set to make its Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games, officials announced on Monday.
It will be the first DanceSport event to appear at the Olympic Game, having been staged at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires two years ago, reported CNN. The street sport typically involves running, jumping and climbing over obstacles.
The International Olympics Committee (IOC) executive board also announced that skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will also feature in the Paris edition, after their debuts at the postponed Tokyo Games in 2021.
"Today is a historic occasion, not only for b-boys and b-girls but for all dancers around the world," said Shawn Tay, president of the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF).
"It was a true team effort to get to this moment and we will redouble our efforts in the lead-up to the Olympic Games to make sure the breaking competition at Paris 2024 will be unforgettable," he further said.
According to CNN, Paris 2024 will see 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls -- the term used for competitive breakers, or breakdancers -- compete in one versus one battles, and it is hoped the sport's inclusion will attract a young audience to the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Tokyo 2020, which was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is scheduled to begin on July 23, 2021 with IOC president Thomas Bach saying last month he is "very, very confident" that spectators will be able to attend.
