Why Is It Called ‘Breaking’ & Not ‘Breakdancing’ at the Olympics 2024? Explained

Breaking , known more commonly as breakdancing , is now officially part of the 2024 Paris Olympics as a sport. Before this, it made its debut at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Due to its name at the Olympics, many are confused as to the reasoning behind the change. So, let’s look at why breakdancing is called Breaking at the Olympics.

Difference between ‘Breaking’ and ‘breakdancing’ explained

The reason for naming the new event Breaking at the 2024 Olympics is that it is an authentic term rooted in hip-hop culture, whereas breakdancing is a more mainstream, less accurate term used for the same thing.

Sergei Nifontov, the General Secretary of the WDSF (World DanceSports Federation) told CNN why exactly the sport is called Breaking and not breakdancing. “While the term breakdancing became popular in mainstream media during the 1980s, largely due to Hollywood and commercial influences, it is often viewed as a term that oversimplifies and commercializes the art form. The community prefers Breaking as it encompasses the deeper cultural and artistic significance of the dance.”

Breaking was born as an art form in the Bronx borough of New York in the 1970s. International competitions for Breaking first took place in the 1990s, popularizing it globally among dancers and the general population. It was included in the Olympics after it received huge viewership at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games. It also encourages a large number of young people to participate in international events. For this purpose, sports like skateboarding and surfing were also included in the Olympic games only recently.

The overview of the rules for Breaking in the 2024 Paris Olympics covers the scoring and format. The Breaking competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games comprises two events —one for men and one for women. 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls will face off in spectacular solo battles. Athletes will use a combination of power moves, including windmills, the 6-step, and freezes, as they adapt their style and improvise to the beat of the DJ’s tracks in a bid to secure the judges’ votes and take home the first Olympic Breaking medals.

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