Breaking's debut in 2024 Olympics is decades in the making

The 2024 Olympics in Paris, France will feature your typical ensemble of summer sporting events. Fans tuning in to watch the greatest and most momentous competition in the sports world will witness some of the best athletes from across the globe participate in a variety of athletic contests. Sports like basketball, track and field, gymnastics, and swimming will undoubtedly generate headlines and capture the attention of spectators. But the sports-viewing world will also bear witness to the debut of a new Olympic discipline — one that has existed for decades but has never been given a stage quite like the Olympics. That’s because breaking, more commonly known as breakdancing, is set to make its first appearance in the Olympics next summer in Paris.

Breaking is an urban dance that originated on the streets of South Bronx in the early 1970s. Back then, it was a way for underprivileged kids to express themselves. It helped form bonds within communities, transforming street culture in the process. Gang violence became dance battles. Soon, breaking was identified as one of the four foundational elements of Hip Hop, alongside DJing, rapping/MCing, and graffiti. But breaking today is vastly different than the art form that was born on those New York City streets. Now, breaking is a globally recognized sport ready to make its debut in the 2024 Olympics. There are worldwide competitions, major brand sponsorships, and global media coverage.

The growth of this sport is almost incomprehensible to the pioneers of breaking. One such individual is B-boy Ronnie. Born Ronnie Abaldonado, Ronnie grew up in Guam before moving to Las Vegas as a kid. He was one of the first breakers, or B-boys, to receive a major sponsorship deal and is widely considered to be one of the most influential B-boys in the history of the sport. Ronnie famously won the 2007 Red Bull BC One World Final — the most prestigious 1-on-1 breaking competition in the world — in Johannesburg, South Africa. 16 years later, the 2023 Red Bull BC One World Final is set to take place this October in Paris of all places, less than a full calendar year before breaking will make its Olympic debut in the same city. Ronnie also participated in the very first Red Bull BC One World Final in 2004 and has been in attendance for every event since. He’s seen this art form grow from a niche corner of the sports world to center stage at the Olympics. Sometimes it doesn’t even feel real.

“It’s a dream come true,” Ronnie told me. “This is something we’ve always talked about, even when I started 30 years ago. Sure enough, after three decades, we’re on the world stage.”

Ronnie believes that breaking’s rise to prominence can be attributed to the medium’s shift toward more of a sports-centric presentation. “Back when breaking first started, there was really no structure in competition,” Ronnie claims. “Now we have a point system. There’s a better understanding of what judges are looking for. This is why I believe it’s the perfect time to have breaking in the Olympics.”

People love sports. We crave competition. For as integral as the cultural and traditional aspects of breaking are to its core, an emphasis on sporting culture is necessary for the medium’s growth. The transition of breaking into more of a structured sport has helped it expand exponentially in recent years. Those traditions will always be the essence of what makes breaking unique, but evolution is imperative and oftentimes inevitable. Ronnie sees two sides to the discussion. On one hand, you have the purists. These are the traditionalists who emphasize respect for the culture and honoring the roots of this once-niche art form. Then you have the new generation. These are the individuals who view breaking as a sport and want to make a living through competitions. Their focus is on the competitive side of breaking, not so much the cultural traditions. The good news is that these sides can and do coexist, at least according to Ronnie. He believes that opinions have changed since the initial announcement that breaking would be in the Olympics. A lot of traditionalists were on the fence, but the community opinion has shifted quite a bit. Ultimately, increased opportunity is beneficial to everyone in the community — purists and the new breed alike.

Another individual in the community who is excited to see breaking in the Olympics is B-boy RoxRite. Real name Omar Delgado, RoxRite was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and moved to the United States at the age of six. Over the years, RoxRite has garnered a reputation as one of the premier breakers of his generation — the first real generation of commercialized breaking. Much like Ronnie, RoxRite is another former Red Bull BC One world champion, winning the finals in Moscow, Russia in 2011. He’s seen the evolution of breaking over the last two-plus decades, having started his journey all the way back in 1995. He too is overwhelmed with emotion at the thought of breaking being an Olympic event.

“I never thought I’d see it in my lifetime,” RoxRite exclaimed. “This is a platform that we can utilize to showcase what breaking has been doing for the last 50 years.”

There have been documentaries and moves made about breaking over the years. Movies like Flashdance and Wild Style helped gain the art form some degree of mainstream attention. Popular TV shows like Soul Train allowed breaking, and hip hop as a whole, to be introduced to a more expansive market. A new docu-series recently released by Red Bull TV, Breaking Beyond, even features the likes of Ronnie and RoxRite as they examine the roots of this art form. But breaking has never seen anything quite like the Olympics. This is a completely new platform with an entirely different audience. It’s the start of a new era in the breaking world — one that could see the sport reach never-before-imagined heights.

Ronnie is excited to see the next generation of B-boys and B-girls forge their own paths and leave a legacy behind at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The thing he’s most looking forward to? When the first breaker receives a gold medal.

“That’s going to be historic,” he says. “Whoever that person is, they’re going to be a legend.”

Ronnie is confident that the United States has what it takes to win gold next summer. “They’re going to place,” he insists. He has every reason to be confident too. The United States is home to the reigning 2022 Red Bull BC One B-boy champion, Victor. They also boast 2021 Red Bull BC One B-girl champion and 2022 finalist, Logistix. Ronnie calls Victor, a two-time Red Bull BC One champion, the country’s “golden child.” He says the same is true for Logistix. He’ll have to put aside his red, white, and blue-colored glasses, however, if he’s selected as a judge for next summer’s Olympic games.

Ronnie is one of a host of breaking legends vying for an opportunity to be a judge in Paris. It’s an incredible responsibility — one that he doesn’t take lightly. Overcoming implicit biases and personal preferences is a crucial part of the judging process in any sport, and in no sport is that truer than breaking.

Much like the medium itself, the judging process of breaking has evolved over the years. It started out as simply a feel thing. There were no “points.” There weren’t specific guidelines for judges to follow. It ultimately came down to who each judge liked more. But things are a little different now. There have been various point systems over the years, but the one that will be used at the Olympics is as technical and viewer-friendly as any system that’s existed.

Here’s how everything is going to work. There will be two 16-participant competitions — one for the B-boys and one for the B-girls. Each battle consists of two breakers. One breaker performs while music is being played. The other breaker then has an opportunity to respond. Each competitor is given two sessions before the battle is over. A panel of five judges then scores each breaker on six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality. The process is actually handled on a tablet that each judge is given. We’ve come a long way from the early days of breaking, but judging is still a little abstract, as Ronnie makes clear.

“At the end of the day, judging is subjective,” Ronnie says. “We could be looking at the same thing, and I could score someone lower or higher than the judge next to me.”

The Olympic committee is serious when it comes to choosing their judges. Ronnie and the other prospective judges have to go through a rigorous testing process that challenges their knowledge of breaking history. It’s a difficult job — one that Ronnie fortunately does have plenty of experience with. Case in point: the 2009 Red Bull BC One World Final. Ronnie was one of five judges on the panel for the final battle between American-born B-boy, Cloud, and Algerian-born B-boy (representing France), Lilou. Ronnie was given the unfortunate honor of being the final judge to reveal their winner. The other four judges split the result at two apiece. Most expected Ronnie, a native of the United States, himself, to select his fellow countryman. Instead, he shockingly chose Lilou. Those are the kind of difficult — and sometimes unpopular — decisions you have to make as a judge. Ronnie was able to put aside his own implicit biases and vote for the competitor he believed deserved to win, even if he was disparaged for it later. If Ronnie is chosen to be one of the lucky few Olympic judges, you’d best believe he will approach the situation with the same level of equitability.

RoxRite also has experience as a judge. Like Ronnie, RoxRite is well aware of the responsibility that comes with judging a breaking event. “It’s a difficult job,” RoxRite insists. “You’re there to make careers and establish opportunities for others. It’s a serious responsibility.” RoxRite is much more into the creative side of breaking, and that is reflected in his judging preferences. He has an easier time determining winners when battles delve more into the creative and musical aspects of the sport. When it becomes more of a technical battle, RoxRite, like many other judges, simply looks for the competitor who has made the fewest mistakes. RoxRite cherishes his time as a judge, even if that isn’t his goal for the Olympics. He loves judging because he’s a fan of breaking. As a judge, he has the opportunity to witness the evolution of the sport — to see the next generation of breakers.

“It gives me perspective,” RoxRite says. “I constantly get to see new talent that’s coming up. It’s inspiring. Even when I’m judging, I’m still a fan. I’m blown away sometimes.”

RoxRite considered attempting to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games. Even at the age of 41, RoxRite is still semi-active in the breaking community. While he focuses more on cultural and crew events, he might have considered participating in the Olympics as a competitor had he been able to represent the United States. RoxRite was born in Mexico, but he grew up and became a B-boy in the U.S. While he typically represents the United States in competitions, Olympic rules state that he would have to represent his country of birth. RoxRite explained why that didn’t particularly interest him.

“I don’t live in Mexico, I live in the United States, so I feel some sort of a divide,” RoxRite told me. “I learned breaking here. Mexico is always on my back, it’s in my blood. I represent the U.S. because this is where I learned to dance. My style was developed here. The people that mentored me were from here. I’ve spent most of my life here. That’s why I have an American flag behind me in most battles. Sometimes we put the Mexican flag there as well.”

RoxRite won’t be competing in next year’s Olympics. He won’t be a judge, either. Instead, RoxRite will be helping coach the next generation of B-boys and B-girls as the head trainer for the Swiss breaking team. Although he was born in Mexico and raised in the United States, RoxRite’s daughter was born in Switzerland, and he’s spent a lot of time in the country and in the community over the last few years. He was approached by the head of the Swiss Breaking Federation with an opportunity to be a trainer and the rest is history. What better way to give back to the community than by helping train some of the best up-and-coming talent in the world? Switzerland has a rich history of breaking culture, having hosted two Red Bull BC One World Finals, including the very first event in 2004. However, there has never been a Swiss-born B-boy or B-girl champion. RoxRite is hoping to change that in the Olympics next year.

“It’s not about me as the coach,” RoxRite says. “It’s about the dancers and how I can help them to become the best version of themselves.”

Training is very different than competing, as any coach will tell you. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the athletes you’re helping. It requires a level of technical mastery that few individuals in the sport possess. 

“You have to really understand your movement,” RoxRite explains. “You have to understand your limits and how to push past your threshold.”

Perhaps the most important aspect of training is improving your weaknesses. Every athlete has their share of strengths — the parts of the sport that they do best. But to improve as an overall competitor, it’s important to become more well-rounded. That’s absolutely the case with breaking as well, and it’s something RoxRite emphasizes in his training regimen.

“We find things you’re weak at,” RoxRite says. “You’re weak on your left hand. You only use right-hand transitions. You’re only playing on two levels — your handstands and your elbows, but you don’t know how to use your back.”

Possibly even more important than the technical side of breaking is the creative component. Think of breaking battles as a type of conversation. One breaker begins and the other responds. You can have a choreographed routine planned, but if you’re not able to adapt to the music and, more crucially your opponent, you aren’t going to find success in this sport. Observational skills are recommended. Improvisational skills are a requirement. RoxRite explains how one competitor might perform a move that triggers something in your arsenal. Perhaps one breaker busts out a headspin, but you know you have a headspin combination that’s 10 times better than theirs. Those are the skills RoxRite is hoping to teach his team. You have to be able to adapt — adapt to the music, adapt to your competitor, and even adapt to the crowd. The Swiss breaking team, like most breaking teams, has its own physical trainer that provides them with an exercise routine and dietary plan. Breakers must stay in pristine physical condition, but that’s not RoxRite’s job. His job is to help his team improve the technical and creative aspects of breaking. While he enjoys judging, he believes there’s nothing quite like being a trainer.

“The judging helps me stay on my toes, but when it comes to the coaching, I’ve had to re-educate myself on things I’ve been doing for years,” RoxRite insists. “It helps others grow, but it also helps me grow.”

There’s one thing he likes most about training. RoxRite loves to see others achieve their dreams. He loves to help others improve. Most of all, he loves to give back to a community that has given him so much over the last nearly 30 years.

“[I love] seeing people reach new levels,” he says. “I find it rewarding to see people achieve their dreams and goals. If I could help push you to the limits, then I feel like I’m doing my job.”

The 2024 Olympics will mark a previously inconceivable milestone for the breaking community. It will be a celebration of the 50-plus-year roller coaster ride that this art form has experienced. From its early days as a New York City street dance to the exploitation era of the ‘80s to its rebirth as a competitive sport all the way to the Olympics, breaking’s journey has been unconventional and unparalleled. That’s part of what makes this sport so beautiful, though. It’s a beauty that many within the community are already well aware of. After all, they’ve already experienced it. They were exposed to this world at a young age, and their lives were never the same.

“Breaking has changed a lot of lives with limited viewership,” RoxRite told me. Just imagine what a platform like the Olympics is going to do for this sport. It combines breathtaking feats of athleticism with unrivaled displays of creativity all bundled up in one competitive sport package. Breaking was made for today’s media landscape. Every single battle consists of potential viral moments that could help grow the sport exponentially.

All it needed was a platform. Now, it has one.