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Explainer | Paris 2024 Olympics add kiteboarding and breaking, remove karate and baseball

  • Favourites include Singaporean kiteboarder Maximilian Maeder and Japanese breakdancer Ami Yuasa

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Ami Yuasa of Japan won the women’s breaking finals during the Paris Olympic qualifier series in Budapest on June 23, 2024. Photo: Kyodo
Reuters

The Paris Olympics, which open on Friday, will feature a new sport, breaking, plus three first-time sports returning from the Tokyo Games – climbing, skateboarding and surfing.

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A competitive form of breakdancing that blends artistry and dance with acrobatic moves, breaking will debut at the Paris Olympics. The urban dance style, which originated in the Bronx borough of New York in the 1970s, was announced as part of the Paris 2024 programme in late 2020.

Twice World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) championship winner Victor Montalvo and Canadian Phil Wizard (Philip Kim) will be the favourites in the B-Boy category.

Montalvo, 30, held off Wizard in the final to take the WDSF World Breaking Championship title last year and became the first American to qualify for breaking at the Olympics.

Wizard, 27, won the WDSF championship in 2022.

Ami Yuasa of Japan competes in the women’s breaking finals during the Paris Olympic qualifier series in Budapest on June 23, 2024. Yuasa’s success has made Japan a powerhouse in breaking and breakdancing. Photo: Kyodo
Ami Yuasa of Japan competes in the women’s breaking finals during the Paris Olympic qualifier series in Budapest on June 23, 2024. Yuasa’s success has made Japan a powerhouse in breaking and breakdancing. Photo: Kyodo
In the B-Girl category, the 2023 world champion, 17-year-old Nicka (Dominika Banevic) of Lithuania, and Japanese Ami (Ami Yuasa) will be the ones to watch out for.
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