Global Breaking scene to converge in Nanjing for WDSF World Championship

The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) will celebrate Olympic Day in style this year with the 2019 WDSF World Breaking Championship in Nanjing, China. 

The goal of Olympic Day, celebrated around the world on 23 June to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on the same day back in 1894, is to promote participation in sport regardless of age, gender or athletic ability and to get as many people as possible active. 

What better way to get inspired than to watch some of the world’s best Breakers – 150 b-boys and b-girls from 66 countries in total – compete for the title of World Champion, including eight Olympians who participated in the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires last year. A list of all b-boys and b-girls who will be in Nanjing can be found here.* 

It’s the kind of talent pool that has b-girl Hurricane of France, who will be one of 10 judges in Nanjing, excited to be part of the event. 

“It’s going to be a magic moment for the scene,” said Hurricane, who added that it will be an excellent opportunity to check out what’s happening in the global Breaking community all in one place. “It’s officially the first time that we can talk about a ‘World Championship’ with a real selection and qualifications, so it’s going to show our talent and give respect to our scene.” 

To ensure universality targets are met, qualification for the World Championship not only allowed each WDSF National Federation (NF) to send up to four breakers (two b-boys and two b-girls) but also allowed for an additional 45 wild card spots and the possibility for countries without a National Federation to send athletes. 

Most WDSF NFs organised national qualifiers in the first half of the year to identify the athletes to represent their countries at the World Championships. 

One of three b-boys representing Venezuela is the seasoned pro Lil G, who says he is looking to feed off those who are at the top of their game in Nanjing. 

“I’m looking to do my best in this battle, but the more important thing for me is to enjoy the moment,” said Lil G, who has competed in China on numerous occasions but never been to Nanjing. “I really want to battle people who will be on fire, because then I can push myself more.”

For those unable to make it to Nanjing, The Olympic Channel will livestream the action starting from the Round Robin stage from 13:30 local time (07:30 CEST, 01:30 EDT). The semifinals are scheduled to begin at 19:30 local time (13:30 CEST, 07:30 EDT), with the finals set to begin one hour later.

In addition, all the battles from the Round Robin stage onward will be saved on the DanceSport Total.

The Championship will double as a qualifying event for the first GAISF World Urban Games in Budapest, Hungary this September. 

*Chinese entrants will be decided during national qualifiers on 22 June.