The Olympic Games threatened to become mildly interesting for a change during the week with the announcement of the new addition of Breakdancing at Olympics 2024 in Paris.
Given that most pre-Olympics news is limited to failed drug tests, various reports on the woeful inadequacies of the facilities of the upcoming Olympic games, and a range of awful awful uniform unveilings, and a press conference to unveil the mascots for the games which sometimes requires an arts degree to understand, we think the news of Breakdancing at Olympics 2024 is a welcome change from the norm. No, not that Norm from Life Be In It. Nor the one from Cheers.
But is the introduction of the street dance a good or bad thing?
Is it really a sport? Is it as bad as the other new events they have added to the Olympics lately? Can you still watch Captain Planet anywhere on TV?
We bring back our grape debate to discuss both sides of the debate. Two of our staff writers felt passionately enough to take a side each for your entertainment.
PRO – BREAKDANCING AT OLYMPICS 2024
KAAPS LOCHE – Contributor
Many people have raised their eyebrows at Breakdancing being included in the Paris 2024 Olympics, but why should they be surprised given the way the Olympics have been going with new sports.
Surely Breakdancing is just as welcome to the Olympics family in 2024 as Surfing and Skateboarding will be in Japan next year.
And let’s not forget some events that are mainstays at the Olympics.
For instance, take a look at Gymnastics. One gold medal is awarded to a gymnast running around to classical music holding and throwing a ribbon on a stick. How is that any different to Breakdancing, apart from the new events being at least 20 times cooler.
Take trampolining, something that ten year-olds can do and not get medals. Breakdancing gets almost as much air with their moves without the assistance of springs.
One could certainly argue that Synchronised Swimming is basically breakdancing underwater. Take away the water, and swap those swimmers for street wear and classical/pop music for some urban classics and prove us wrong. (Please note we are not including Keith Urban as urban music. Although we wouldn’t recognise any of his songs anyway.)
New Olympics addition sport climbing up a wall is tough work, but breakdancing surely has the equal of physical output. And Sports climbing has a mere fraction of the entertainment value as breakdancing.
For god’s sake, even the horse equivalent of breakdancing – Dressage – has been an Olympics mainstay.
If horses, gymnasts, swimmers, and more have been able to get medals for essentially some kind of dancing, then why not get the best of the best in breakdancers at the Olympics in 2024 and let the world fall in love with the rhythm and melody.
And just think of the dueling breakdancing circles as an image of Olympics competition as a modern day upgrade of Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street blasts through the stadium for the first dance off for breakdancing at Olympics 2024.
We can’t wait and nor should you.
So the argument is not only that breakdancing is great, it is that there are other equally rubbish events on paper that most don’t blink an eye to. So in that case we can’t wait for the debut in Paris in 2024.
ANTI – BREAKDANCING AT OLYMPICS 2024
MAX LAYNE – Sports Feature Writer
The Olympics motto is or used to be faster, higher, stronger. It’s hard to work out which of these apply to breakdancing.
Sure the helicopter kicks and head spinning are impressive, but that’s impressed as in maybe throw a dollar or two in the hat as you walk past some local breakdancing in the streets. Maybe not if you are a complete jerk who watches the performance without paying anything. But it’s impressive as a side attraction on a walk through the city, not at the biggest non Football sporting tournament in the world.
The Olympics seems to be going for quantity over quality these days. Much like the old 20 in 1 board games pack back in the day. None of the games strong enough to be sold separately, and combined is still an overrated and underwhelming.
Look at recent additions for the 2020 Olympics – Surfing, Skateboarding, an increasing number of ways to win a medal by using a paddle in water, and for Japan 2021 sport climbing. At least sport climbing combines all the faster, higher, stronger.
But back to the breakdancing.
It is not a sport.
It is dancing. Albeit a lot cooler than ballroom, ballet and square, but it is still dancing.
And how will it be judged? Just another event where experts will hold up a card out of 7, 10 or 25 where the ordinary Joe will have no idea how the score is. Will a double or triple headspin be better than a worm or two. Or is the helicopter kick the big point scorer. Will the outfits and choice of music contribute to the points. Should there be a standard song everyone dances to?
See how ridiculous it is having Breakdancing at Olympics 2024 that we are even asking these kind of questions to determine a winner.
It sets a new low bar for what events could come after it.
If breakdancing, with no sporting heritage at all is now an Olympic sport, then why not a range of others.
Chess. Hacky Sack. Mime. E Sports. Formula 1 or equivalent.
Once you open the floodgates, who knows what will be let in.
