Breaking, better known as breakdancing, is now officially part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as a sport. Previously, it made its debut at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Due to its name in the Olympics, many are confused about the reason behind the change. Let’s take a look at why breakdancing is called Breaking in the Olympics.

The reason the new event is called Breaking at the Olympics 2024 is because it is an authentic term rooted in hip hop culture. Breakdance, on the other hand, is a more common, less accurate term used for the same thing.

Sergei Nifontov, the secretary general of the WDSF (World DanceSports Federation) told CNN why the sport is called Breaking and not breakdancing. "Although the term breakdancing became popular in the mainstream media in the 1980s, largely due to Hollywood and commercial influences, it is often seen as a term that oversimplifies and commercializes the art form. The community prefers Breaking because it captures the deeper cultural and artistic meaning of the dance."

Breaking was born as an art form in the 1970s in the Bronx borough of New York. International competitions for Breaking first started in the 1990s, making it popular among dancers and the general public worldwide. It was included in the Olympic Games after it attracted huge viewership during the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. It also encourages a large number of young people to participate in international events. For that reason, sports like skateboarding and surfing were only recently included in the Olympic Games.