Breakdancing will not return to the Olympics after making a horrendous debut at the just-concluded Paris Games where critics and netizens slammed the category for even its inclusion in a sporting event.
Breakdancing made its Olympic debut on August 9, with the B-girls event followed by the B-boys competition on Saturday. Japan took gold in the B-girls event while Canada came out on top in the B-boys.
But it was the performance of Australian dancer Rachael Gunn, aka Raygun, that made the Olympics a laughing stock. Hilarious clips of Raygun’s Kangaroo hop and sprinkler dance moves were widely circulated on social media and brutally trolled by netizens.
Australia is gonna single-handedly get breakdancing taken out of the Olympics pic.twitter.com/yKk1HeOrz1
— Vivek Girotra (@vivekgirotra) August 9, 2024
Viral Aussie breakdancer disappointed
Raygun later expressed her disappointment at the dance form getting removed from the Olympics roster for 2028.
“It was disappointing it was decided that it wouldn’t be in L.A., particularly before we even had a chance to show it. “That was possibly a little premature. I wonder if they’re kicking themselves now?” she said after scoring 0 points in her category at the Paris Games.
Paris 2024 Olympics: Breakdancing
16 B-boys battled it out for the Olympic gold today.
Here’s who topped the podium:
Gold: Phil Wizard (Canada)
Silver: Dany Dann (France)
Bronze: Victor (USA)
4th place: Shigekix (Japan) pic.twitter.com/efTacaC65h
— Vanessa Pacheco (@VanessaOnTV) August 10, 2024
Return of Cricket and Baseball
Instead of breakdancing, cricket will mark its return to the Olympics after a gap of 128 years. Cricket last featured in the Olympics in 1900 and will be played in the T20 format in Los Angeles.
baseball, softball and lacrosse will all return for the L.A. Games after periods of absence, while flag football and squash will feature from the very first time.
Optional events skateboarding and speed climbing – the former made its Olympics debut in Tokyo in 2021 – will become permanent events.
