WDSF statement on LA28 decision not to include Breaking 16/10/2023

The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) wishes to address the unfortunate spread of misinformation circulating on social media and in the media regarding the decision by the local organizing committee of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 not to propose Breaking for inclusion at its edition of the Games.

LA28 PROGRAMME DECISION

First and foremost, the decision was made by the LA28 organizing committee alone. Local organisers of each edition of the Olympic Games, starting with Tokyo 2020, have been given the right by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to propose new sports for their edition of the Games only, in addition to the core Olympic sports.

Tokyo 2020 selected baseball-softball, karate, skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing for their edition of the Games. Paris 2024 selected Breaking, skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing. Los Angeles 2028 selected baseball-softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash.

“It’s up to each local organizing committee to determine which [additional] sports to put forward that fit with their vision of the Games,” explained IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell during a recent press briefing ahead of the ongoing 141st IOC Session in Mumbai, India. “Obviously Breaking fit very clearly with Paris’ vision of a very youth-focused urban engagement.”

FULL CONFIDENCE

As the global governing body for all DanceSport disciplines worldwide, the WDSF remains an important member of the Olympic Movement and will continue to oversee Breaking’s Olympic journey, which includes organisation of the competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, as well as the qualifying processes for both.

While profoundly disappointed with the LA28 decision, the WDSF is proud of all that it has accomplished, together with the Breaking community, in an extremely short amount of time. Our relationship with the IOC and other Olympic Movement stakeholders remains strong, and our work on behalf of Breaking has been unwavering from Day 1 of its Olympic journey, which began ahead of Breaking’s debut at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.

“The World DanceSport Federation has done an outstanding job in building Breaking, building an Olympic qualification process, reaching out the Breaking community and involving them in the Olympic pathway towards Paris,” McConnell said. “In the Place de la Concorde next year I think we’ll see an incredible mix of sport, culture, self-expression, and music with Breaking on the Olympic stage, so I’d really like to congratulate them on the work they continue to do towards Paris. I think it will be an outstanding exhibition.

“[The WDSF is] really a great Olympic partner and, equally, the Breaking community. I think they have really embraced the Olympic journey and seeing them on the Olympic stage and being able to call them Olympians the same way we do with the skateboarders, the surfers, the sport climbers, and the others is going to be something very, very special.

“I’d just like to address that part and congratulate and thank the WDSF and the Breaking community for the way they’ve embraced it and by no means does [not being added to LA28] take anything away from their journey towards Paris. I think it will be something really exceptional in Paris.”

NOT WITHOUT PRECEDENT

Breaking is not the first sport to be included at one edition of the Olympic Games and then be excluded from the next. For example, baseball-softball and karate took part in Tokyo 2020 and were subsequently overlooked for Paris 2024. Like Breaking, karate had not yet made its Olympic debut before being excluded at the following edition of the Games.

The WDSF is working hard to ensure that Breaking is included at the Olympic Games Brisbane 2032, just as softball-baseball has returned to LA28 after missing out on Paris 2024.

See the Full Press Conference containing IOC Sports Director Mr. Kit McConnell reference on the WDSF and Breaking (9 min 50 sec).