Following a viral, meme-inducing debut at the recently concluded Paris Olympics, breakdancing will not return to the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The LA organisers chose not to include the sport because it did not fit their vision for the Games.
“It’s up to each local organising committee to determine which additional sports to put forward that fit with their vision of the Games,” International Olympic Committee sports director Kit McConnell said.
Breaking is part of a surge of new, urban sports being added to the Olympic Games, such as skateboarding and cycling BMX. It is comprised of moves that include complex footwork, flips and twists.
After a successful run at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, breaking was added to the Olympic programme in Paris. But it stirred controversy, especially the performance by Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn.
Competing under the name Raygun, she went viral online after her performance in the round-robin stage of the women’s competition, where she was swept out without earning a single point.
The 36-year-old sparked dozens of memes and drew criticism from viewers for her unconventional moves.
Wearing a tracksuit in Australia’s green and gold, her moves included hopping like a kangaroo and dancing like a child.
A man posted on X: “(It was like) my dog on the lawn 30 seconds after bathing him.”
Critics also said Raygun’s performance didn’t represent breaking, which originated in the Bronx in the 1970s.
Malik Dixon, an African American man who lives in Australia, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Gunn came off as “somebody who was toying with the culture” during a significant moment for the sport.
While Gunn defended her moves, not many were impressed with breaking. Many felt it is more dancing and not really a sport.
Dozens of sports have been added, removed and sometimes re-added to the Olympics. Polo, golf, karate, tandem cycling, tug-of-war, tumbling and rope climbing were all previously summer Olympic sports.
“The Olympics are constantly evolving, it’s trial and error,” Bob Barney, professor emeritus at the University of Western Ontario and an Olympic historian, told NBC Insider. “The International Olympic Committee will try something and if it works, great. If it doesn’t, well, back to the drawing board.”
So far, the sports added to the 2028 Olympics are flag football, lacrosse, cricket, squash, baseball and softball.
