Breaking made its mark on the Olympic stage in Paris in 2024, with Japan’s Ami Yuasa making history as the first-ever Olympic gold medalist in the sport. Breaking, a dance form that originated in the Bronx in the 1970s, was added to the Paris 2024 program, much to the delight of fans and competitors alike.
Competitors from around the world gathered at Paris’ Place de la Concorde to showcase their skills in breaking. The women’s competition took place on August 9, with Lithuania’s Dominika Banevic winning silver and China’s Liu Qingyi taking home the bronze. The men’s competition followed on August 10, with Canada’s Philip Kim clinching the gold medal.
The competition format for breaking at the Olympics was a unique challenge, as the dance form is known for its lack of rules and emphasis on improvisation. Dancers, known as B-boys and B-girls, competed in one-on-one dance battles, with each battle consisting of three rounds. Judges scored the dancers on categories such as technique and musicality.
One of the key elements of breaking is the music, and at the Olympics, dancers had to improvise their moves to music selected by the DJ. The International Olympic Committee licensed approximately 400 songs for the competition, creating a dynamic and diverse soundtrack for the dancers to perform to.
Paris organizers opted to include breaking in the 2024 Games as part of an effort to make the Olympics more gender-balanced, youthful, and urban. The sport’s popularity among younger generations and its urban roots made it a natural fit for the Paris Games. While breaking will not be featured at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, there is hope that it may return to the Olympic stage in the future.
Overall, the debut of breaking at the Olympics was a resounding success, with competitors and fans alike celebrating the recognition of this dynamic and expressive dance form on one of the world’s biggest stages. Ami Yuasa’s historic gold medal win marked a milestone moment for breaking, solidifying its place in the Olympic pantheon.
