Does breakdancing belong in the Olympics? As the ‘sport’ is added for the first time at the Paris Games, scientist dubbed ‘The Breakdancing Professor’ reveals why it’s ‘more than just a dance’

It is the very first time that this sport has been added to the Olympic Games, which is quite controversial.

But does breakdancing actually belong at the Olympic Games?

As the 2024 Olympic Games get underway in Paris, researchers have released their verdict on whether breakdancing – called “breaking” by the Olympic Committee – is a legitimate sport.

Gary Burnett, a lecturer at Loughborough University who is also known as ‘The Breakdancing Professor’, told MailOnline that breakdancing ‘definitely deserves to be in the ‘Olympic Games’ because it is ‘very athletic’ and requires ‘tremendous strength’.

Not everyone agrees, however. Australian squash legend Michelle Martin claims that the Olympics have become a “mockery” after breaking was added.

This energetic street dance originated in New York in the 1980s and features body spins, handstands and fast footwork, all improvised to a hip-hop soundtrack.

During the Olympic Games, athletes, called B-boys and B-girls, will dance one-on-one with each other to impress the judges.

Professor Burnett, who was a semi-professional breaker in the 1980s, explains: ‘Breaking is particularly exciting compared to the more clearly defined sports at the Olympics.

‘What was also always there was the competitive angle that went back and forth.

One person makes a ‘move’, and his competitor tries to do the same thing better, or in a different or unique way.

‘Over the years this has been expanded to include a wider range of basic moves, including several elements from gymnastics, but the basic riff premise has remained.’

Professor Burnett, now an expert in digital creativity at Loughborough’s School of Art and Design, describes breaking as ‘extremely inclusive’ because it doesn’t require expensive equipment.

‘The only expenses I had as a teenager in the early 80s were my train ticket to London to watch and learn from the best dancers of the day (this was before YouTube tutorials!), a roll of linoleum to practice on and lots of tins of shoe polish to make the linoleum smoother,’ he told MailOnline.

Professor Burnett is now in his mid-fifties and no longer breakdances, mainly because of the enormous physical demands it places on the body.

Claire Warden, professor of performance and physical culture at Loughborough University, agrees that ‘breaking is a sport because of its athletic nature’.

‘Breaking has a long, fascinating cultural history,’ she told MailOnline.

‘It started with young, largely impoverished African American and Latino communities and grew into the global sport it is today.

“It’s very exciting to think that this anti-establishment practice is also being applied to the Olympic Games.

“It has a competitive side that has been there from the beginning, so it’s a great addition to the Olympics.”

Breaking takes its place alongside more prestigious events such as javelin throwing and pentathlon, which were part of the Olympic Games over 2,000 years ago.

However, Professor Warden believes we should not be surprised if new sports are added to the Olympic Games, as the Games have ‘developed consistently’.

“It’s changed and morphed over and over again, moving with the times and adapting to the culture to attract new audiences,” she said.

‘There are already sports at the Olympics that are at the intersection of sport and the performing arts, like breakdancing – think of synchronised swimming and rhythmic gymnastics.’

Breaking is the only newcomer to this year’s Games. Karate, softball and baseball have all been removed after being added to the Tokyo 2020 roster.

Each participant’s score is determined by a jury who evaluate the performance on five factors: musicality, vocabulary, originality, technique and execution.

Professor Warden said it is “difficult to predict” who will win gold, but American B-boy Victor Montalvo and Lithuanian B-girl Dominika Banevic, also known as Nicka, are the current world champions.

“These seem like obvious choices, but given the pressure of the Olympics and the large global audience watching, it is questionable whether it will work,” she said.

However, the inclusion of breaking has proven to be a game changer, with social media commentators describing it as ‘stupidly ridiculous’ and ‘[making] “I want to throw up.”

When it was announced that the event would be held in Paris in 2024, former Australian professional squash player Michelle Martin said: “It’s a bit of a parody of the Olympics.”

“The Olympics was all about the score, or a foot race,” she told AAP in 2020.

‘There was a definitive answer and results for sport.

“When you add all these judgmental things to it, it becomes so corrupt and so out of control – I just don’t get it anymore.”

Dr Scott Goddard, a physical health researcher at Southern Cross University in Australia, pointed out that the break competition has already been removed from the schedule for Los Angeles 2028.

‘This probably limits its perceived legitimacy – it becomes more of a novelty or one-off, rather than having the chance to become a regular feature,’ he told MailOnline.

“But overall I think it’s good that more athletes get the chance to showcase their talents.”