Was Breakdancing At The Olympics A One-Trick Pony?

Breakdancing made its debut at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and although there was a mixed reaction from fans and non-fans of the dance form, which originated in hip-hop, the competition will not be taking place in the 2028 Olympics. That’s not the only change we will witness in four years.

According to NBC News, with the next set of games pitting athletes from around the globe against the best of the world coming back to the United States, there will be some changes. The 2028 Olympics will touch down in Los Angeles, making it the first time the games have been on domestic soil since Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympics. This year saw the hip-hop dance form with its own competition on a world stage, although the competition of breakdancing has been going on since the inception of hip-hop. For the 2028 games, breakdancing is not on the schedule.

That decision, according to the World DanceSport Federation, was made by the LA28 organizing committee. Starting with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the hosting country determines which new sports will be included in that country’s year of having the games. That rule was put in place by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the governing body of the games. While breakdancing was placed in the schedule by Paris, Los Angeles has decided to select baseball-softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash for 2028.

“It’s up to each local organizing committee to determine which [additional] sports to put forward that fit with their vision of the Games,” said IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell. “Obviously, Breaking fit very clearly with Paris’ vision of a very youth-focused urban engagement.”

There is still hope that breakdancing returns to the Olympics when it is held in Brisbane, Australia in 2032. Maybe the addition of the various new entries in Los Angeles will allow the absence of the hip-hop art form to be brought back in time for the Olympics in eight years.