Breakdancing Proposed As a New Sport for 2024 Olympic Games

Breakdancing has been proposed for inclusion in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, organisers have announced.

It is among four sports that organisers will propose to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as surfing, climbing and skateboarding, which will all debut at Tokyo 2020.

Squash campaigned unsuccessfully for inclusion in the Paris Games, as did billiard sports and chess.

Breakdancing was included in the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018.

The IOC will consider the proposal and must reach a decision by December 2020.

Tony Estanguet, a three-time canoeing Olympic champion and head of the Paris 2024 organising committee, said the inclusion of the new sports would make the Olympics "more urban" and "more artistic".

Russia's Sergei Chernyshev, competing under the nickname Bumblebee, won the first breakdancing - known as 'breaking' - gold medal for boys at last year's Youth Olympics, while Japan's Ramu Kawai won the girls' title.

The Youth Olympics saw competitors involved in head-to-head "battles" and it is reported that this format would be used in Paris.

Team GB had no breaking competitors in Buenos Aires.

A Team GB spokesperson said: "We look forward to welcoming all new sports into the Olympic Games and will work with the relevant bodies to develop our relationships at the appropriate time.

"Although we did not compete in what was an invitational event at the recent Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, we did witness the popularity of breakdancing among fans there."

As well as the proposed sports, Paris organisers also announced that the 2024 Games would allow the public to immerse themselves in the Olympic experience, through virtual and connected sports.

In addition, members of the public will be able to run the marathon course on the same day as the event - straight after the Olympic race - under the same conditions as those faced by the athletes.

"With Paris 2024, the spectators of the Games finally become actors of the Games," said Estanguet.

FROM .bbc.com/sport/olympics/