Breaking at the Olympics: How does the Paris 2024 competition work? How is it scored? When and where is it held?
Published 09/08/2024 at 14:07 GMT+1
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games introduces breaking for the first time, and possibly the only time. The sport is not set to be part of the programme at Los Angeles 2028, but 32 breakers will spin, twist and stun the Place de la Concorde crowd in the final weekend of the Olympics. But how does breaking work, and how is it scored? We have all the details you need right here.
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The Paris 2024 Olympic Games sees the sport of breaking make its debut, where competitors will showcase feats of fiery athleticism and bewildering head spins as they twist and twirl at the Place de la Concorde.
Breaking, also known as breakdancing although never referred to as such, rewards artistry in the complex moves and gymnastics-like performances that B-girls and B-boys complete in their allotted 60 seconds.
The competitors, 16 B-girls and 16 B-boys, will be assessed by a panel of nine judges from around the world.
But with every sport that rewards athletic creativity, how they are judged is not always clear. Here is everything you need to know about how a breaking winner is crowned.
HOW DOES BREAKING WORK?
In total, 32 breakers – 16 men and 16 women – will compete over two days as the Olympic Games reaches its conclusion.
They face off in head-to-head battles, starting in an opening round-robin where they are divided into four groups.
They do not know the music ahead of time, and have to pull out a performance where their moves fit the music.
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Each battle consists of three rounds, or throwdowns, with the breakers taking alternating one-minute turns, and the breaker who wins the best-of-three advances.
There are two winners from each group – eight in total – who advance to the quarter-final stage. They are ranked in a bracket according to their opening-round scores.
The No. 1 ranked breaker battles No. 8, No. 2 versus No. 7, and so on until four are left, facing off in a semi-final before the final two dance for gold.
HOW IS BREAKING SCORED?
The judges will score breakers on five criteria: vocabulary, technique, execution, originality and musicality.
Instead of traditional scoring, judges use a digital slider to slide towards a breaker in each category, meaning viewers know who the winner is in real time.
There are penalties for crashes, wipeouts and falls, and judges even have a misbehaviour button they can press if they decide that a move or act crosses a line or is too vulgar.
A judge can hit three different misbehaviour buttons which range in the severity of the transgression. The third is used for the most inappropriate moves and sees a breaker's total score reduced by 10%.
When and where is it happening?
The women compete first on Friday, August 9, with the men battling on Saturday.
The venue is the Parc Urbain, built next to the Place de La Concorde, which has hosted skateboarding, BMX and 3x3 basketball.
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Who are the favourites?
In the men's event, American Victor Montalvo, known simply as Victor, is a gold medal favourite. He is the reigning WDSF World Breaking Championship champion and, at 30 years old, seems to get better with age.
Competing for gold next to him will likely be Japan's Shigeyuki Nakarai (B-boy Shigekix), who became the youngest Red Bull BC One World champion in 2020, and is just 22 at these Games.
Menno van Gorp (B-boy Menno) from the Netherlands, aged 35, and 27-year-old Philip Kim (B-Boy Phil Wizard) will also serve must-watch, head-spinning action.
The women's leading contenders include the Japanese duo Ami Yuasa (B-girl Ami) and Ayumu Fukushima (B-girl Ayumi). The latter is another bucking the trend that breaking is a young person's game, as she searches for gold at 40 years of age.
In contrast, Lithuania's Dominika Banevic (B-girl Nicka) turned 17 in June and prepares to take on the Games as the defending world champion.
Sya Dembele (B-girl Syssy) of France, also aged 17, and Logan Edra (B-girl Logistx) of the United States will also provide plenty of sublime moments of skill.
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer
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