Olympic Breakdancing: The Good, The Bad, And "The Tyrannosaurus"
When the Paris Olympics announced that breaking had been added to the Olympic Games, the sports world was conflicted. After two days of unhelpful commentators, RayGun's "kangaroo dance", and Snoop Dogg's grand entrance, sports fans have only grown more conflicted about the wonderful world of breaking.
Snoop Dogg Showing Off His Dancemoves, RayGun's "Tyrannosaurus" Move, And Unhelpful Commentary- A Recap Of The 2024 Olympic Breaking Competition
When the Paris Olympics revealed that breakdancing (AKA "breaking") would be featured in the 2024 Olympic Games, sports fans were unsure what to think.
Many sports fans questioned whether or not breaking was even a sport. This debate was eventually settled when the Paris Olympics addressed it on their official website, stating "Breaking is recognized as an urban sport just like skateboarding and sport climbing."
Some breakdancing enthusiasts were happy that the sports world had recognized the skill and athleticism that goes into breaking. Others acknowledge that breaking is a sport, but don't believe that all sports belong in the Olympics. Others were just excited to see something new added to the roster.
There was quite a bit of excitement surrounding breaking's Olympic debut, but when the Olympic B-Girls debuted on August 9, some fans found the competition lackluster.
According to Daily Mail, some fans found the event difficult to follow due to "the lack of any explanation from the commentators on what breaking is, what the moves the athletes were pulling off were called and how the judges were scoring them." Daily Mail quotes several viewers who posted about their experiences watching the breaking competition. One viewer posted "'I was interested but the announcer just kept being like 'Wow what a great blah blah blah' and I just want to know what it all means.'" Another viewer replied
'Haha yep, the announcer was like 'Whoa that's a windmill into a two-thousand' and I'm just like... if you say so, my guy.'" A third viewer posted "'All the announcers do is get hyped when good music comes on. They're not helping at all.'"
Fans also used social media to express their disappointment at the Breakers' lackluster performances. The primary target of this online backlash was Australian B-Girl Rachael Gunn, who competes under the name "RayGun." The 36-year-old dancer went viral on social media after performing a "confusing and chaotic routine" that ended with her "awkwardly squirm[ing] on the dance floor with her hand on her chin." This dance- which scored her zero points against any of her three rivals-has been described as a "kangaroo dance" featuring a move nicknamed "The Tyrannosaurus." It was revealed that Gunn is not only Australia's top-ranking breaker but "an expert researcher on breaking who works for Sydney's Macquarie University as a creative arts researcher specializing in 'the cultural politics of breakdancing.'"
None of this was enough to save Gunn from the tirade of social media backlash she faced for her "cringe-y" performance.
Amid all the chaos, it has been revealed that breaking will not be returning to the Olympic Games in 2028. According to USA Today, "the local organizing committee for each Olympics can propose new sports for their Games, but Los Angeles 2028 did not propose including breaking." USA Today explains that for a sport to become part of the regular Summer Olympics program, it has to be featured at three Games in a row. The fact the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics have chosen not to feature breaking is a sign that breaking "will almost certainly never be an Olympic sport again in the future."
Breaking's Olympic debut hasn't been all negative.
Martin Gilian (AKA MGbility)- the head judge of the breaking competition- rushed to Rachael Gunn's defense after seeing the hate she received for her performance. During a press conference, Gilian said “Breaking is all about originality and...representing your country or region. This is exactly what RayGun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case...was a kangaroo.” He clarified that Gunn's level wasn't as high as the other competitors, but that doesn't mean her performance was "bad." "'She did her best,'" Gilian said, "'she won the Oceania qualifier...Unfortunately for her, the other b-girls were better.'”
The Breaking Federation says that it has offered mental health support to Gunn amid all of the online criticism. The World DanceSport Federation has offered Gunn the support of their "safe-guarding officer." Sergey Nifontov, General Secretary of the World DanceSport Federation, says "We are aware about what has happened, especially on social media, and definitely we should put the safety of the athlete, in this case, mental safety in first place." He confirms that Rachael Gunn "has us as a federation behind her."
For all of the sports fans who found the Olympic breaking competition "lackluster", just as many were blown away by the breakers' "quirky trickery and talent." Before the competition began, American rapper Snoop Dogg dazzled the crowd by showing off some of his dance moves to "Drop It Like It's Hot." The crowd's excitement only increased once the B-Girls began their battles.
Daily Mail quotes sports fans who took to X to share their enthusiasm.
Brian_Asleson wrote, "not sure how Breaking got to be an Olympic sport, but these athletes are freaking amazing!"
Nopetynotehaha wrote, "Olympic breaking is so sick I'm loving it!"
JayRBradley wrote "Actually so sick they let them use their performer names. Always thought of the Olympics as stuck up but between skateboarding and now breaking, this is awesome!"
Breaking's debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was an overall exciting experience that that the sports community will never forget. Thanks to these Olympic B-Girls and B-Boys, there will certainly be many new breakers.
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