How breaking reached the Olympics: the road, the judging and the work behind it

On 9 and 10 August 2024, at Place de la Concorde in Paris, breaking made its Olympic debut. The road there took years and changed how a dance born on the street gets judged.

The road to the Games

• 2018: breaking appears at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, with 12 b-boys and 12 b-girls. It was the showcase that convinced decision makers.
• 7 December 2020: the IOC approves breaking for Paris 2024.
• 2023–2024: qualification runs under the WDSF (World DanceSport Federation), the federation that governs the sport at Olympic level.
• 9–10 August 2024: the competition at La Concorde, b-girls on Friday and b-boys on Saturday. 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls competed.

How the 32 dancers qualified

There were 32 places, 16 per gender. The WDSF World Championship in September 2023 gave one place each (the top b-boy and the top b-girl). Five continental qualifiers gave 10 places (5 and 5), and the Olympic Qualifier Series, held March–June 2024, distributed the rest, including universality places and the host quota. France, as host, received one place per gender.

How it is judged: the Trivium system

Olympic breaking is 1vs1: two dancers trade rounds to music played by a DJ, and the music is picked at random, so you cannot prepare a set for one specific track. Judges use the Trivium system, which replaced the older binary approach (one dancer wins, the other loses) with real-time evaluation on a digital platform. The core idea: a dancer is judged on three planes, physical (body), artistic (mind) and interpretative (soul).

In Paris, judging used five categories: Musicality, Vocabulary, Originality, Technique and Execution. Judges also had a penalty button for misconduct. The system drew criticism too, mainly for how complicated the scores look to a new audience, and the WDSF said it planned to simplify the presentation.

Who won

In Paris, b-girl Ami (Yuasa) of Japan took the women’s gold and b-boy Phil Wizard (Philip Kim) of Canada took the men’s gold.

What about Los Angeles 2028?

Breaking is not on the Los Angeles 2028 programme. Host cities can propose extra sports for their own edition only, and the LA28 committee picked baseball-softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash. In a statement dated 16 October 2023 the WDSF said it was deeply disappointed and that it is working to bring breaking back for Brisbane 2032. In the meantime breaking remains on the programme of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, per the same statement.

What training like a b-boy or b-girl involves

This part does not come from an official rulebook. It reflects coaching practice and what any dancer will tell you. There is no single recipe, and for nutrition or injuries it is worth talking to a doctor or specialist.

• Discipline, not just talent. A strong set is built over hundreds of hours: fundamentals (toprock, footwork) every week, then advanced moves once the base is solid.
• A prepared body. Breaking demands strength in the shoulders, wrists, core and back, plus mobility and endurance. Many dancers add strength, flexibility and cardio work to their dance training.
• Warm-up and recovery. Warming up is not optional, and rest is part of training. Persistent pain in the wrists, shoulders or neck is something to discuss with a specialist, not to push through.
• Food and sleep. Steady energy from balanced meals, hydration, protein for recovery and enough sleep. For children and teenagers, eating plans are for a doctor or dietitian to set.
• Musicality and mindset. Listen to varied music, learn to hear breaks and rhythms, practise improvising. In an Olympic battle the DJ picks the track on the spot.
• Character. Respect for your opponent, courage in front of a crowd, patience with your own progress. We train these as seriously as the moves.

At Space Cadets we do not train for the Olympics; we train for what comes before any podium: the habit of showing up, trying and not quitting. If you want to see what that looks like, start with the free first class.

Sources

• Olympics.com: Breaking at Paris 2024
• WDSF: Breaking qualification system for Paris 2024
• WDSF: Storm and Renegade on the Trivium judging system
• WDSF: statement on the LA28 decision
• Wikipedia: Breakdancing

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. If you spot a mistake, write to us and we will fix it.

Keep reading

• The history of Breaking: from the Bronx to the world
• Hip-hop culture and slang: b-boy, b-girl, MC, DJ, fresh, wack and the rest