Breaking, a new Olympic sport making its debut in Paris, explained

Brand new to the Olympics in 2024, breaking probably isn’t the sport you think it is.

Actually, what do you think it is? Because when I first heard “breaking,” I didn’t know what to think. But it definitely wasn’t what it turned out to be, which is actually quite obvious from the name.

Breaking is just that, it’s breaking. You know, like, break dancing.

That’s right, if you’re lucky enough to tune in for the B-Girl battles on Friday or B-Boy battles Saturday, you’ll catch the debut of the only new sport at this year’s Olympics. And before jumping to the conclusion that it’s not a sport, see for yourself.

The Olympics first recognized breaking at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. Because of its success there, it graduated to the 2024 Paris Games.

In total, 32 athletes will compete — 16 apiece in the men’s and women’s competitions — broken up into four groups of four to begin. The top two from each group will advance to a quarterfinals, which continues until a champion is crowned.

The competitors are scored based on five categories: musicality, vocabulary, originality, technique and execution. Some of the favorites are world champion Victor Montalvo and former world champ Phil Wizard for the men and Ami Yuasa and B-Girl Nicka for the women.