You've three choices when it comes to breakdancing - or breaking as it's officially called - at the Olympics. 1) Ignore it, 2) turn into the "old man yells at cloud" Simpsons meme, or 3) enjoy it. That's completely your choice, but if you want to know enough to have a passing interest in the sport, we have just the guide for you!
The bluffers' guide to breakdancing at the Olympics
Seriously, breaking is in the Olympics?
Yes, it's a new sport in the Olympics but it has been slowly establishing itself for a while now. It was part of the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 and has built itself up with a more unified international structure.
Why was it brought into the Olympics?
The Olympic movement is always changing. Sports have been introduced into the Olympic Games in pretty much every decade. The 2010s onwards has seen the introduction of several sports that are sometimes called "urban sports". In general, they are popular worldwide and played and watched by predominantly young audiences. The IOC wants that younger demographic.
There's also a couple of less obvious but more important reasons too.
The sports are all very cheap to compete in. That means that the barrier to entry around the world is far, far lower than a sport like rowing or cycling.
It also allows the host cities to create "urban parks" for the Olympics relatively cheaply, to host the likes of skateboarding, BMX park, sport climbing and breaking in one setting. Far cheaper than building a baseball stadium that won't be used again, for example.
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Do they just dance?
Basically, yes. A DJ plays music - that the competitors have no prior knowledge of - and competitors take turns on a one-v-one battle. Judges decide which of the competitors has won the battle, with the winners advancing to the next round.
How do the judges score it?
They look at creativity, musicality, expressiveness and technical accomplishment. Similar to ice dancing in the Winter Olympics or gymnastics in the Summer Games.
Will I be able to tell who's winning?
Maybe, maybe not. Just like boxing, judging can work in mysterious ways.
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It doesn't sound like a sport though?
There are elements within the dances where competitors have to exhibit their athleticism, and there are certain moves that require a great amount of skill. As above, there are a lot of sports in the Olympics that see choreographed routines judged. Breaking can't be pre-choreographed as they won't know what music will be played.
What format will it take?
In men's and women's competitions, called B-Boys and B-Girls, there are 16 entries. They'll be drawn into brackets with the winners of the last 16 qualifying for the quarter-finals and so on until we have a final.
B-Boys and B-Girls?
Yeah, a nod to the breakdancing culture that will absolutely enrage traditionalists. Most of those involve competing under a nickname, though usually, it's just a shortened variation of their real name.
So who will win?
The men's world champion is Victor (Victor Montalvo) from the USA. The 30-year-old beat Phil Wizard (Philip Kim) from Canada in the final last year. The women's world champion is 17-year-old B-Girl Nicka (Dominika Banevič) from Lithuania. She beat 41-year-old Ayumi (Ayumi Fukushima) from Japan last year. As you can see, the age range involved can be pretty wide.
Do I have to watch?
No, you can do whatever you like. Some will enjoy the sport, others won't. As is the same with every sport in the world
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