IOC adds breakdancing as medal event for 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
In an effort to appeal to a younger, “urban” audience, the International Olympic Committee announced on Monday the official inclusion of breakdancing, an art form that saw its pop-culture pinnacle in the 1970s and 80s.
Known as “breaking” among its pioneers and in IOC parlance, the competition will make its Olympic debut as an official sport at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
IOC president Thomas Bach addressed the decision after the executive board's meeting in Geneva on Monday.
“We have had a clear priority, and this was to introduce sports which are particularly popular among the younger generations,” Bach told reporters. “And also to take into account the urbanization of sport.”
Parkour was also considered for the Paris games. It did not make the cut.
Other sports confirmed for Paris
The decision to include breaking follows the addition of other non-traditional Olympic competitions climbing, skateboarding and surfing, which are scheduled to make their Olympic debuts at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The IOC also confirmed the three sports as medal events for Paris on Monday.
The IOC has discussed adding breaking since Paris organizers proposed adding the sport in 2018.
With additions come cuts
Alongside the additions, the IOC announced reductions in other sports, most notably weightlifting. According to the Associated Press, the IOC is cutting the number of weightlifting participants by more than half from the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro Games to 120. Boxing will also see a reduced presence in Tokyo.
The addition of non-traditional sports often comes with controversy alongside the elimination of competitions long rooted in the Olympics.
The IOC eliminated baseball and softball after the Beijing Games in 2008. Both sports are slated to make their return to the Olympic stage in Tokyo.
The IOC also voted to eliminate wrestling in 2013, seemingly putting an end to the competition rooted in the Ancient Olympic Games. That decision was overturned later that year after the IOC deemed the decision a mistake.
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