WDSF OFFICIAL STATEMENT
The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) wishes to address rumours circulating online with some simple truths.
- We stand firmly against any form of harassment and abuse targeted at athletes online. We reiterate our statement made during the Games and the comments from our closing press conference: “Our athletes deserve respect and support as they pursue their dreams. As part of Hip Hop culture, Breaking embraces the values of peace, love, unity, and having fun. Let’s treat every athlete with respect and create a supportive environment for everyone.”
- Breaking was not dropped from the sports programme of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 during or after our debut at Paris 2024. The Organizing Committee for LA28 opted in October 2023 – many months prior to Paris 2024 – to select five other sports (baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash) instead of Breaking for their edition of the Games.
Starting with Tokyo 2020, Olympic Host Cities have had the option of suggesting new sports and events for inclusion in their edition of the Games that are not binding on future Games hosts. So while Paris selected Breaking and LA28 did not, there is still a chance Breaking could return for the Olympic Games Brisbane 2032 and beyond. As just one example, baseball/softball was added to Tokyo 2020, not selected for Paris 2024, but will return again at LA28. - Breakers in the Olympic qualification system and the Olympic Games Paris 2024 are evaluated based on five judging criteria, which compare two Breakers in a battle and result in votes. If a Breaker receives fewer or zero votes, it means that their competitor was evaluated more favourably across more criteria (and does not mean the Breaker scored zero points). The results of the Olympic Breaking event are available on the International Olympic Committee website.
- The Oceania continental qualifier was a legitimate qualification event run by AUSbreaking, under the supervision of DanceSport Australia and the WDSF. The nomination of judges – all of whom are international – was managed by the WDSF. More details about the Oceania qualifier can be found in this Australian Olympic Committee press release.
As part of the qualification process for the Olympic Breaking competition, the WDSF held over 20 qualifying events across all five continents over a two-year period (July 2022-June 2024), culminating in the IOC-led Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS), where 10 athletes per gender earned their spots at the Games. Others qualified by winning their respective continental Games/Championships and the WDSF World Championships. - The WDSF and the Breaking community stands by all our athletes, in particular Australian B-Girl Raygun, who has been subjected to a torrent of criticism since her appearance at Paris 2024. Head Judge MGbility told journalists at our closing press conference on 11 August: “I feel personally very sorry for her and I just want to say that Breakers and the Hip Hop community definitely stand behind her, because she was just trying to bring something new, something original, something that represents her country. So we stand with her and she has our support.”
We hope this clears up some of the misinformation and would like to remind everyone to always consult the official sources (namely the WDSF, IOC, and Australian Olympic Committee) for any facts related to Breaking at Paris 2024 and the qualification process leading up to it.
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