Why Breaking Won't Be Featured in the 2028 Olympics (and What's Taking Its Place)

Mar. 15, 2025

Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/Getty

Dancers, don’t flip out at this news!

Team Australia’sRaygun, for example, is one of the dancers whomade headlines after her performanceon Aug. 9. Despite earning 0 points for her routine and critics calling out her unique dance moves, she won the hearts of viewers and left an impact while doing so.

“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,” Gunn said in anInstagram videoposted ahead of her performance. “I hope that seeing breaking at the Olympics inspires a whole new generation of breakers.”

Team USA’s Victor Montalvo, too, turned heads as his moves won him the bronze medal. “I’m a super shy kid, so for me it was perfect because you don’t need to talk to anyone. You just need the dance floor and yourself,” hepreviously saidof why he is passionate about breaking.

What is breaking?

B-Boy Victor of Team USA competes in breaking at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Steph Chambers/Getty

Steph Chambers/Getty

Athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics battled against each other one-on-one as a panel of judges rated their performances based on sixdifferent criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality.

“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,” theOlympics' official websiteexplained.

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 won’t breaking be in the 2028 Olympics?

France’s Danis Civil, Canada’s Philip Kim and USA’s Victor Montalvo pose on the podium with their medals after competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty

ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty

In October 2023, the governing body of breaking, the World DanceSport Federation,released a statementthat addressed breaking being left out of the upcoming 2028 Olympics.

What has been the reaction to breaking’s exclusion in the 2028 Olympics?

“It was a miracle that we were even in Paris to begin with,” Zack Slusser, vice president of Breaking for Gold USA and USA Dance previously said, perThe Washington Post. “But for the breaking community, it’s an achievement worth celebrating, even if it doesn’t return to the Olympic stage.”

“The amount of exposure to the right people that can bring real change to our community, to our platform to help it grow — it’ll be significant to us,” he added. “It’ll allow us, for the first time, to find sustainability and help us elevate our platform.”

Australian breaker Raygun expressed her disappointment at the sport’s exclusion in the 2028 Olympics. Particularly, she shared her frustration over the decision being made prior to the sport’s debut in Paris.

“It was disappointing that it was decided before we’d even had a chance to show it so I think that was possibly a little premature,” shesaid aftercompeting. “I wonder if they’re kicking themselves now, particularly because they’ve got some great American breakers who could totally be on the podium.”

What sports are being added in the 2028 Olympics?

Team Australia’s Raygun competes in breaking at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty

Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty

Lacrosse hasn’t been in the Olympics since 1908, while cricket hasn’t been in the Olympics since Paris in 1900.

Will breaking return for the 2032 Olympics?

source: people.com