Breaking makes its Olympic debut in Paris. It is one of only two new sports for these Summer Games, along with kayak cross (Aug. 2-5), in which athletes race each other over whitewater and through obstacles.
Breaking, which was born in the Bronx in the 1970s, will be on display Aug. 9 and 10, when 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls will compete at the Place de la Concorde.
The event will feature several rounds of one-on-one battles, with the athletes taking turns known as throw downs that last just one minute. The athletes do not know ahead of time what music the DJ will spin and will be scored on six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality.
Four sports that debuted at the Tokyo Games — skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing and 3×3 basketball — remain on the program for Paris.
This might be the only time breaking appears at the Olympics. It was dropped for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, where cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash will be added. Baseball and softball will also return to the Summer Olympics when the U.S. plays host for the first time since Atlanta in 1996.
There are 20 mixed gender events at the Paris Games, up from 18 in Tokyo, including new mixed events in race walking, sailing and shooting.
