The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics have wrapped up, and as people look forward to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, questions remain about which sports will be competing.
Breaking—also known as breakdancing—made its debut at the Paris Olympics and left a significant impression. Much of the buzz was generated by Vancouver’s Philip Kim, a.k.a. Phil Wizard, who captured gold after dominating his final battle against host-country favorite Danis Civil (Dany Dann) of France.
However, Australian B-girl Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn, who delivered less-than-impressive moves, quickly went viral, particularly outside of the Olympic fanbase.
The 36-year-old college professor’s performance across three round-robin battles included a kangaroo hop, a backward roll, and various contortions with her body while lying or crawling on the floor.
After her performance on Friday, Raygun posted on Instagram: “Don’t be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that’s gonna take you.”
Yuasa, known as B-girl Ami, who won the gold medal in the women’s competition, expressed her disappointment that Los Angeles organizers didn’t wait to experience the energy between the athletes and the crowd at Place de la Concorde in Paris before making decisions.
“I feel so sad about it not happening in Los Angeles because breaking was born in the U.S.A.,” she told The Associated Press on Sunday. “Breaking is not just a sport; it’s also a form of self-expression and art.”
World DanceSport Federation president Shawn Tay echoed this sentiment, saying at a news conference on Sunday that it’s unfortunate Los Angeles didn’t get to witness the excitement surrounding breaking in Paris before making its decision.
“You can see the last two days it was really exciting and almost mind-blowing for those watching it,” Tay said. “It’s not just about physical performance; it’s also about the enjoyment in sports that the audience can connect with through what they see and hear. There was a lot of audience involvement over the last two days.”
While Breaking could potentially return for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia, Zack Slusser, vice-president of Breaking for Gold USA and USA Dance, told reporters he thinks it’s unlikely. “It was a miracle that we were even in Paris to begin with,” he told NBC.
According to Olympics officials, the LA28 Organizing Committee proposed five sports as a package for the L.A. Games only. Each sport was reviewed and supported by the International Olympic Committee’s Programme Commission and Executive Board.
The Games will include two new sports, flag football and squash, while baseball, softball, cricket (Twenty20), and lacrosse (Sixes) will make their Olympic returns after years to decades of absence—leaving the door open for breaking, even if it doesn’t make it to LA or Australia.
Casey Wasserman, LA28 chairperson, said the new sports were proposed to “ignite imagination on the field of play and drive culture off it.”
“They will bring new athletes to the Games, engage diverse fan bases, and expand the Games’ presence in digital spaces, further amplifying LA28’s mission to deliver an unparalleled experience.”
