Breakdancing, also known as “breaking,” began in the Bronx in the early 1970s and has made its way to the Summer Olympics. The dance competitions that began in the streets of New York are now being transformed into competitions in Paris, with medals awarded to the best.

The debut of Breaking has raised a lot of questions about the sport: How does the competition work? How are the fights scored? What is the name of that crazy handstand move?

While we can’t answer the latter, The Sporting News will help you with the basics, including rules, schedule and much more you need to know about Breaking News’ first round of games.

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Why is breakdancing an Olympic sport?

Breaking was recognized as an Olympic sport by the International Olympic Committee in December 2020. Recognized as a new sport along with surfing, skateboarding and climbing, breaking is part of a wave of extreme sports being included in the Games to fulfill the IOC’s goal of attracting a younger audience.

The sport made its debut at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. According to NBC News, more than a million people watched the competition, and the hope is that the trend will repeat at the Summer Games.

Olympics: Violations of competition rules and format

A total of 33 dancers (16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls plus one reserve) will compete at the Paris Games. Both competitions consist of a preliminary round in a round-robin format, followed by elimination rounds with quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches.

In the round-robin format, each group of breakers is divided into four groups. Within these groups, each dancer will compete in one-on-one battles called throw downs. Each throw down is a best-of-three one-on-one competition lasting approximately one minute – when a breaker finishes their round, their opponent immediately begins their battle format routine.

The top two breakers from each group advance to the quarterfinals, where competitors are seeded one through eight. Further singles matches in a knockout format begin, with breakers advancing to the semifinals and medal rounds based on their throwdown results.

What makes it unique is that participants do not know the music in advance and their fate falls into the hands of a DJ and their own improvisation throughout the event.

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Olympic Breakdown Top Scorer

Although it may seem subjective, there is a set method by which judges evaluate breakers at the Olympic Games. A panel of nine officials evaluates each round based on five criteria: technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality.

Performativity and creativity make up 60 percent of the final score, with the rest making up the other 40 percent. Additionally, judges use a digital slider to score the competitions by moving the pointer in real time to the dancer who outperformed their opponent.

There will also be “misconduct buttons.” Each referee will have three options – mild, moderate and severe – to punish an offender if they behave or gesture inappropriately.

A minor misconduct – an accidental, unintentional or non-aggressive act or gesture – results in a deduction of three percentage points. Moderate misconduct – an accidental, unintentional or non-aggressive act or gesture – results in a deduction of six percent, while severe misconduct – an intentionally aggressive, violent or sexual gesture – results in a deduction of ten percentage points.

If a majority of the judges push the disqualification button on a competitor, that competitor may be subject to immediate disqualification, subject to final approval.

Olympic Breaker

B-Boys

B-Girls

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Olympic schedule