Breaking, the dynamic street dance style born in the Bronx, is set to make its Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The sport, which gained international recognition through competitions in the 1990s and appeared at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, will join other new Olympic sports like sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing.
Breaking Down the Competition
The Paris 2024 Games will feature 16 men and 16 women competing in breaking, also known as b-boying and b-girling. The format includes a round robin, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, and medal battles. Each battle consists of a best-of-three one-on-one contest lasting approximately one minute per round. The competition takes place at La Concorde, a venue dedicated to urban sports, where athletes will perform to a live DJ’s beats.
Judging Criteria
A panel of nine judges will score the competitors based on six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality. Notably, creativity and performativity are weighted most heavily, accounting for 60% of the score, with the remaining 40% distributed among the other criteria.
Schedule and Viewing Information
Breaking events will be held on August 9 and 10, 2024. The preliminary battles for B-Girls (women) and B-Boys (men) will start at 10 a.m. ET, with finals beginning at 2 p.m. ET each day.
Team USA’s Breaking Stars
Team USA boasts strong contenders for the breaking events. Victor Montalvo, known as B-Boy Victor, is a gold-medal favorite after becoming the first U.S. athlete to qualify for the Olympics in breaking by winning the 2023 WDSF World Championship. Fellow American Jeffrey Louis (B-Boy Jeffro) is also a notable competitor.
In the women’s category, Sunny Choi (B-Girl Sunny) made history as the first U.S. woman to qualify for the Olympics, while Logan Edra (B-Girl Logistx) secured her place through the Olympic Qualifier Series this spring.
Where to Watch
Catch the exhilarating action of breaking at the Paris Olympics live at La Concorde or tune in to NBC’s coverage to see the world’s best breakers in action.
