Breaking at the Summer Olympics
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Breaking was introduced at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris as an optional (temporary) sport. Despite the United States being the home of breakdancing, the sport is set not to be included at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles; on its omittance in the latter, the IOC's sports director Kit McConnell stated that "It's up to each local organizing committee to determine which [additional] sports to put forward that fit with their vision of the Games. Obviously, breaking fit very clearly with Paris' vision of a very youth-focused urban engagement." World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), the sport's governing body, was cited as working toward ensuring breaking's inclusion at the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane.
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Format
The competition begins with a round robin stage. The 16 breakers are split in four groups and dance against the others in their group for a minute each. The two best breakers from each group progress to the knockout stage, where breakers are eliminated from the competition after losing a one-on-one match.
Scoring
The winner is determined by a panel of judges, who score each performance based on five criteria each worth a fifth of the point maximum. The criteria are:
- Technique: The correct execution of moves, as well as athleticism, body control, dynamics, space control, form, lines and shape.
- Vocabulary: The number and variety of moves. A high score requires a diverse set of moves in multiple positions. Moves are grouped into toprock (dance elements executed while standing), downrock (spinning on the floor, combined with footwork, drops and transitions) and freeze (a stop in an acrobatic position).
- Execution: The clean performance of moves, and the distinction of moves from one another so that they flow, but not blend, into another.
- Musicality: How well the breaker reacts to and expresses the music, which is provided by a tournament staff DJ and not known to the breakers before the match.
- Originality: How the breaker "wows" the audience by making the dance their own.