This time, breakdancing will now be bannered in the Paris Olympics 2024 as an official Olympic sport.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that breakdancing would be an entry sport in Paris's 2024 Olympics.
In the Youth Olympics 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, breakdancing had already made rounds of tests after the Paris organizers' proposal.
Breakdancing will be making its official Olympic debut at Place de le Concorde in Paris. Together with breakdancing are sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding will also be included as medal events in the huge competition. The three sports will be introduced in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics to be staged in Japan next year.
World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) President Shawn Tay expressed how proud he is of the inclusion of breakdancing in the Olympics. He commended all the people behind the IOC, Paris 2024, WDSF, and the 'breaking' community, which helped them push dancing to become an Olympic sport.
"Today is a historic occasion, not only for b-boys and b-girls but for all dancers around the world."
Upon stepping onto the Olympic grounds, it will be baptized as 'breaking,' the original term of the new Olympic sport coined in Bronx, New York, in the 1970s by the hip-hop dancers.
At first, breaking was only seen as an expressive art that was derived from 'breaks.' 'Breaks' are what the hip-hop DJs mix in a musical loop of disco track and drum beats intended for bodily movements. The hit had evolved since the 1980s, as several variations have modified it.
The breaking competition in 2024 will expect 16 boys and 16 girls or the breakers, who will compete in a singles duel in the ladder. The new sport looks forward to more engagements from the young spectators.
While breaking reached the zenith of praises upon the official announcement, it also drew flak from other people.
In a report by The Guardian, Australian Hall of Famer Michelle Martin lambasted that the recognition given to breaking was a 'mockery' to her sports squash.
The three-time world titlist highlighted that squash was again overlooked and should have been prioritized more than breaking.
"It's sort of making a mockery of what the Olympics is. When you look at what it all used to stand for, the Olympics, it definitely fits in the category. What does the Olympics stand for these days, I don't really know," Martin decried.
Squash had a decade-long history of being denied as an Olympic Sport. With sports like golf and wushu already included in the Olympics, squash was left behind, even after many protests.
Squash fan Roger Federer, a tennis star, believed that the underrated sport deserves to be included in the Olympics.
Squash will someday be included in the Olympics, just like breakdancing. Only time will tell.
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