Breaking at the 2024 Summer Olympics
| Breaking at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venue | Place de la Concorde |
| Dates | 9–10 August 2024 |
| No. of events | 2 (1 men, 1 women) |
| Competitors | 33 from 16 nations |
| Breaking at the 2024 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Qualification | ||
| Events | ||
| B-Boys | B-Girls | |
Breakdancing competitions at the 2024 Summer Olympics ran from 9 to 10 August at Place de la Concorde, marking the sport's official debut in the program and the first dancesport discipline to appear in Summer Olympic history.[1][2] Following its successful debut at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, breaking was confirmed as one of the three additional sports, along with sport climbing and surfing approved for Paris 2024.[3][4] The competition saw a total of thirty-three breakers (sixteen B-Boys and seventeen B-Girls) stage in face-to-face single battles.[5]
Competition format
The breaking competition will comprise two gender-based medal events (one for men and the other for women) where sixteen B-Boys and sixteen B-Girls will compete against each other.
The competition begins with a round robin stage. The 16 breakers are split in four groups and dance against the others in their group for a minute each. The two best breakers from each group progress to the knockout stage, where breakers are eliminated from the competition after losing a one-on-one match.[6]
Scoring
The winner is determined by a panel of judges, who score each performance based on five criteria each worth a fifth of the point maximum.[6] The criteria are:
- Technique: The correct execution of moves, as well as athleticism, body control, dynamics, space control, form, lines and shape.[6]
- Vocabulary: The number and variety of moves. A high score requires a diverse set of moves in multiple positions. Moves are grouped into toprock (dance elements executed while standing), downrock (spinning on the floor, combined with footwork, drops and transitions) and freeze (a stop in an acrobatic position).[6]
- Execution: The clean performance of moves, and the distinction of moves from one another so that they flow, but not blend, into another.[6]
- Musicality: How well the breaker reacts to and expresses the music, which is provided by a tournament staff DJ and not known to the breakers before the match.[6]
- Originality: How the breaker "wows" the audience by making the dance their own.
Qualification
A total of 32 quota places (sixteen each for B-Girls and B-Boys) are available for eligible dancers to compete for the inaugural medals in breaking. NOCs can enter a maximum of four breakers (two per gender) across two medal events.[5][7]
Over eighty percent of the total quota is attributed to a large number of breakers through a tripartite qualification route. First, the 2023 WDSF World Championships, scheduled for 23 to 24 September in Leuven, Belgium, awarded the B-Boy and B-Girl champion with a direct quota place for Paris 2024. Second, a quintet of spots will be assigned to the highest-ranked eligible breakers (one B-Boy and one B-Girl) competing in each of the designated continental meets (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania), respecting the two-member NOC limit. The remaining breakers will provide the final opportunity to book their slots for Paris 2024 through a four-month-long Olympic Qualifier Series, held between March and June 2024 in various locations worldwide.[8]
The host nation France reserves a spot each for a B-Boy and a B-Girl in their respective breaking events, while four more places (two per gender) are entitled to the eligible NOCs interested to have their breakers compete for Paris 2024 through a Universality invitation. To be registered for a spot according to the criteria of the universality principle, breakers must finish within the top 32 of their respective events in the final rankings of the four-month-long Olympic Qualifier Series.[8]
Competition schedule
| Q | Qualification | F | Final |
E = Evening session, starting at 20:00 local time (19:00 UTC).
| Event ↓ / Date → | Fri 9 | Sat 10 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B-Boys | Q | F | ||
| B-Girls | Q | F | ||
Medal summary
Medal table
* Host nation (France)
| Rank | NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Japan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 |  France* | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Lithuania | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 |  China | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 United States | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (6 entries) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
Medalists
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-Boys |
Philip Kim Phil Wizard  Canada
|
Danis Civil Dany Dann  France
|
Victor Montalvo Victor  United States
|
| B-Girls |
Ami Yuasa Ami  Japan
|
Dominika Banevič Nicka  Lithuania
|
Liu Qingyi 671  China
|
See also
References
- ^ "Paris 2024 – Breaking". Paris 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "Breaking officially added to Olympic Games Paris 2024". World DanceSport Federation. 12 July 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ West, Jenna (7 December 2020). "Breaking to Make Its Olympic Debut in Paris in 2024". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ Wharton, David (7 December 2020). "'Breaking' news: Breakdancing added as an event for 2024 Paris Olympics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ a b Martín, Marta (13 December 2022). "How to qualify for breaking at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Topping, Alexandra (2024-08-09). "Breaking for beginners: all you need to know about Olympics' newest sport". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
- ^ "Qualification System – Games of the XXXIII Olympiad – Breaking" (PDF). World DanceSport Federation. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Road to Paris 2024 – WDSF announces 2023 Breaking calendar". World DanceSport Federation. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "Paris 2024 Olympic Competition Schedule – Breaking" (PDF). Paris 2024. p. 17. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
