Was Breakdancing At The Olympics A One-Trick Pony?

Breakdancing debuted at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and although there was a mixed reaction from fans and non-fans of the dance form, which originated in hip-hop, the competition will not take place in the 2028 Summer Olympics.

That’s not the only change we will witness in four years.

According to NBC News, there will be some changes with the next set of games pitting athletes from around the globe coming back to the United States. The Los Angeles Olympics marks the the first time the games have been on domestic soil since Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympics. It feels like breakdancing would be a natural fit there given its hip-hop (and distinctively American) roots.

As for why it’s not on the schedule, according to the World DanceSport Federation, the LA28 organizing committee made that decision. Starting with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the hosting country determines which new sports will be included in that country’s year of having the games. That rule was put in place by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the game’s governing body. While Paris placed breakdancing in the schedule, Los Angeles opted for baseball-softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash for 2028.

“It’s up to each local organizing committee to determine which [additional] sports to put forward that fit with their vision of the Games,” said IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell. “Obviously, breaking fits very clearly with Paris’ vision of a very youth-focused urban engagement.”

There is still hope that breakdancing returns to the Olympics when it is held in Brisbane, Australia, in 2032. Maybe adding the various new entries in Los Angeles will allow the absence of the hip-hop art form to be brought back in time for the Olympics in eight years.

Another sport that may not be part of the Summer Olympics in 2028 is boxing. Its return seems unlikely, NBC News noted, because ” a new world governing body will have to coalesce in coming months to make sure the sweet science will be practiced in Los Angeles.”