Context

• This year’s 2024 Olympic Games that will take place in Paris will see the debut of breaking or breakdancing as an Olympic sport.

  • Surfing, skateboarding, and sports climbing had debuted in the Tokyo Games, held in 2021.
  • For India’s bid to hold the 2036 Olympics in Ahmedabad, the Sports Ministry is likely to recommend the inclusion of yoga, Twenty20 cricket, kabaddi, chess, squash, and kho kho.

What are the criteria to be an Olympic sport?

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in charge of managing the Olympics.

  

• Among other things, it determines the sports programme for each edition of the Games.
• This is done in its annual sessions, not later than in the session electing the host city of the concerned edition of the Games.

The criteria for being an Olympic sport includes the following:

• The sport must be among those governed by the International Federations (IFs) recognised by the IOC;
• It must adhere to the Olympic Charter, a collection of codified rules and principles that dictate the running and organisation of the Olympic Games;
• It must adhere to the World Anti-Doping Code, a unified document that standardises anti-doping policies, rules, and regulations across all sports and nations; and
• It must adhere to the Olympic Movement Code for the Prevention of Tampering in Competition, which seeks to safeguard the integrity of sports against any form of cheating.

How are eligible sports selected?

• The introduction of the Olympic Agenda 2020 in December 2014, led to changes in how sports are chosen for the Olympic Games.
• This update was aimed at making the Olympics more appealing to audiences, while also controlling the number of participants, expenses, and complexity.
• Crucially, it permitted the Organising Committee for the specific edition of the Games to suggest the addition of more sports.

Does the host nation have any say?

• Yes. After the IOC selects the venue for the Games, the city and the host country’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) create the Organising Committee.
• It is through this Committee that the host can facilitate the inclusion of new sports in that specific addition of the Games.
• For instance, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee proposed and was able to introduce five new sports — surfing, karate, sport climbing, skateboarding, and baseball/softball.
• Surfing, karate and sports climbing will also feature this year, on the behest of the Paris Organising Committee.

What new sports are likely to be featured in this year’s Games?

• Paris 2024 is set to introduce breaking as a new Olympic sport.
• It is an “urban dance style that originated in the United States in the 1970s.
• With roots in hip-hop culture, breaking first took form in the lively block parties in the Bronx borough of New York, and is characterised by acrobatic movements, stylised footwork”.

About Breaking

• Breaking is an urban dance style that originated in the United States in the 1970s. With roots in hip-hop culture, breaking first took form in the lively block parties in the Bronx borough of New York, and is characterised by acrobatic movements, stylised footwork, and the key role played by the DJ and the MC (master of ceremonies) during battles.
• Three basic elements that make up breaking – top rock, down rock and freeze.
• Top rock refers to all moves that are performed while standing up – generally a combination of stylish hand movements and footwork whereas freeze is when the breaker comes to a standstill in an unusual position (on their head or hands) in the middle of their routine.
• But the most crucial and often the highlight of the performance is the down rock, which involves all moves done on the floor. It features spins, footwork, transitions and, most importantly, power moves.
• Power moves are a complex set of movements the breakers showcase by spinning their whole body on hands, elbows, back, head or shoulders. The gravity-defying, acrobatic movements require superior strength, balance and flexibility.
• For instance, the air flare power move requires dancers to rotate their body, whilst upside down, while alternating their balance on either arm and moving in a circular path.
• Meanwhile, flare is a common acrobatic move that is also done by gymnasts. It involves balancing the torso on alternating arms and swinging the legs underneath in circles.
• Breakers combine all three elements in their routine on beats provided by a hip-hop DJ when facing each other in a one-on-one competition called a battle.
• There will be separate competitions for men and women, where the best 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls of the world will face off in solo battles.

Source: IE

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