Why the 2028 Olympics Won’t Include Breaking (and What’s Taking Its Place).

Professionally referred to as “breaking,” break dancing debuted at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Breaking, also referred to as break dancing, made its stage debut during the 2024 Paris Games, capturing the attention of onlookers and dancers alike with their spectacular spin-filled routines.

But after making its debut at the Summer Games, the dance-focused sport will not be returning for more. The 2028 Olympics, to be held in Los Angeles, will not include breaking, an official from the International Olympic Committee said. Ironically, considering America is the host city and the sport has been thriving in New York and other US cities since the 1970s, the decision to remove breaking from the upcoming Summer Games has been made. Additionally, since Paris, the spotlight on its athletes—known as B-boys and B-girls—has grown significantly.

In an Instagram video released prior to her performance, Gunn stated, “It is such an honor and a privilege to be, you know, one of sixteen women from around the world competing in breaking’s debut at the Olympics.” “I hope that seeing breaking at the Olympics inspires a whole new generation of breakers.” Victor Montalvo of Team USA also attracted attention with his maneuvers that won him the bronze medal. “As a shy child, I found it ideal because it eliminates the necessity for social interaction. “All you need is the dance floor and yourself,” he had previously stated when discussing his love for breaking.

Read on to learn more about why breaking won’t be returning to the 2028 Olympics and the sport that is taking its place at the Summer Games.

What’s malfunctioning? The origins of break dancing, or “breaking,” can be found in the street culture of the 1970s. The first dancesport competition to be included in an Olympic Games was made official in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but it had previously appeared in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. A panel of judges evaluated the performances of athletes competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris based on six distinct criteria: inventiveness, personality, technique, diversity, performativity, and musicality. The athletes competed against each other one-on-one.

“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,”

Who won the breaking gold medal at the 2024 Olympics?

Phil Wizard, whose real name is Philip Kim, took home the breaking gold medal for Team Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics. France’s Dany Dann won silver and Team USA’s Victor Montalvo won bronze.

Why is breaking not scheduled for the 2028 Olympics?

The news that breaking wouldn’t be included in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles was actually announced a few years ago. In 2022, the International Olympic Committee announced which 28 sports had been approved for the 2028 Games, where breaking was notably left off the list.

When asked why the Los Angeles Olympic organizers decided not to include a certain event, IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell responded, “It’s up to each local organizing committee to determine which [additional] sports to put forward that fit with their vision of the Games,” in a press briefing for 2023. “Obviously breaking fit very clearly with Paris’s vision of a very youth-focused urban engagement.” The World DanceSport Federation, the organization that oversees breaking, issued a statement in October 2023 protesting the sport’s exclusion from the 2028 Olympics.

“While profoundly disappointed with the LA28 decision, the WDSF is proud of all that it has accomplished, together with the breaking community, in an extremely short amount of time,” the statement read, in part. “Our relationship with the IOC and other Olympic Movement stakeholders remains strong, and our work on behalf of Breaking has been unwavering from Day 1 of its Olympic journey, which began ahead of Breaking’s debut at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.”