Breaking Thrills, Excites, Shines at Paris 2024

B-Boy on stage

Dynamic, athletic, urban, youth-oriented, and above all entertaining, Breaking showed exactly why it was the perfect choice for the Olympic Games when it made its highly successful debut this 9-10 August at Paris 2024.

For two glorious days on the Place de la Concorde, our 33 Olympians kept the sold-out crowd of over 22,000 for the four sessions on the edge of their seats – when they weren’t on their feet showing their support, that is. Thousands more spilled out into the surrounding park to soak in the atmosphere while following the live stream being broadcast on big screens.

In the end, B-Boy Phil Wizard (CAN) and B-Girl Ami (JPN) were crowned the first-ever Olympic gold medallists in Breaking, with B-Boy Danny Dan (FRA) and B-Girl Nicka (LTU) taking silver, and B-Boy Victor (USA) and 671 (China) earning bronze.

“We had two great days at Paris 2024,” World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) President Shawn Tay told journalists at a press conference ahead of the Closing Ceremony. “The response from the audience was simply mind-blowing, and we can see that the whole world now looks at Breaking as a sport in a different way.”

B-Boy MGbility, the Head Judge for the Olympic Breaking competition, echoed those sentiments: “It’s been a fabulous two days of competition,” he said. “You’ve seen the reaction of the crowd down at Concorde. It was very vibrant. It was an amazing atmosphere that rubbed off on the athletes.”

It certainly did. The B-Boys final between Phil Wizard and Danny Dan became an instant classic, with both Breakers battling like two prize fighters, leaving every ounce of themselves on the dance floor. The epic battle, won by the Canadian and appreciated by all, brought the two days of competition to a spectacular climax.

It was a fitting conclusion to this chapter of Breaking’s Olympic journey, which began in December 2020 when the sport was officially added to the programme for Paris 2024. An intense two-year Olympic qualification process for Paris 2024 soon followed, featuring over 20 events on all five continents that culminated in two incredibly successful Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) events in Shanghai and Budapest earlier this year.

While making for a busy few years for organisers and athletes alike, the qualifying system was credited by Phil Wizard for inspiring him to keep raising his game ahead of Paris 2024.

“For us as Breakers, the Olympic Games have been an incredible opportunity and platform to showcase what we do. We’ve never had a bigger platform before, and we’re all very grateful for it,” he said. “Speaking personally, I've grown so much in the last few years with this process. It’s been very demanding of us physically, mentally. But it’s also pushed us and kind of pushed our community together more than ever before.”

Breaking was embraced elsewhere at Paris 2024 as well, including at both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. B-Boys Shigekix (JPN) and Quake (TPE) were flagbearers for their respective countries during the Opening Ceremony, while Shigekix, who finished just off the medals podium in fourth place at Paris 2024, was given the unique privilege of performing the same role again at the Closing Ceremony. Fellow Breakers B-Boy Billy of Morrocco and silver-medal winning B-Girl Nicka were also selected for the role by their countries at the Closing Ceremony.

“I had the honour of being the flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony, and I’m thrilled to have the same role at the Closing Ceremony,” said Shigekix. “It’s a great honour to represent Japan as the flagbearer among so many amazing athletes. I’m really proud of that.”

The two days of competition attracted a solid mix of sports stars, celebrities and dignitaries, including International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, Brisbane 2032 Sports Director Brandon Keane, Hip Hop legend Snoop Dogg, NBA stars Bam Adebayo and Pau Gasol, and freestyle skier and two-time Olympic champion Eileen Gu, named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in 2022.

With a massive audience watching online and on TV, Breaking received an enormous amount of exposure at Paris 2024, which should provide an enormous boost to our athletes and sport alike. But Breaking, according to B-Girl Nicka, has also been good for the Games, bring an exciting new flavour to the Olympic menu: “I think the Olympics need Breaking,” the 17-year-old said. “It’s like a breath of fresh air. The whole world saw how wonderful Breaking is.”

From Snoop opening competition with “les trois coups”, a Parisian theatre tradition signalling the start of a performance, to an impromptu outbreak of windmills by our Olympians during the Closing Ceremony, it was hard not to take notice of, and fall in love with, everything about Breaking at these Olympic Games.

“On behalf of everyone at the WDSF and the Breaking community, I would sincerely like to thank the Paris organisers and the IOC for their vision and the faith they placed in us to bring Breaking to the Olympic Games,” said WDSF President Tay. “It’s been a fantastic journey, and now the whole world can see this is such a good and wonderful addition to the Olympic Games.”

Photos by Little Shao

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2 B-Boys celebrating

Published on 15 August 2024