Breaking will feature at 2024 Paris Olympics, along with surfing, climbing and skateboarding; parkour not selected for inclusion; Paris Games will also see exactly 50 per cent male and female participation in Olympic sports programme for first time.
Monday 7 December 2020 20:42, UK
Breaking, the competitive form of breakdancing, will feature in the 2024 Paris Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ratified its inclusion on Monday.
The Paris 2024 organising committee had last year proposed breakdancing, along with surfing, climbing and skateboarding, for inclusion and was waiting on a final review by the IOC's Executive Board.
Breaking is the only one of the four events that will not feature at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where karate was proposed by the Japanese hosts.
But parkour, a discipline that usually involves running, jumping and climbing over obstacles, has not been selected for inclusion.
Paris Games organisers have said they want to deliver a programme that is in keeping with the times and will attract a new and younger audience.
Under new IOC rules first introduced for the Tokyo Games, Olympic host cities can hand-pick sports and propose them for inclusion in those Games if they are popular in that country and add to the Games appeal.
The IOC is desperate to refresh the Games sports programme to remain relevant to sponsors, broadcasters and younger fans.
Paris 2024 will also see exactly 50 per cent male and female participation in the Olympic sports programme for the first time.
