The inaugural Olympic breaking competition kicked off at La Concorde on Friday (9 August) as Paris 2024 busted a powerful rhyme for the 17 B-Girls eyeing a place on the podium.
If there was any question as to how the crowd and global audience would respond to this new sport on the Olympic stage, the B-Girls and B-Boys answered that with authority.
There was no shortage of fans or noise as decibel levels reached a maximum with rapper extraordinaire Snoop Dogg lighting up the arena by performing the opening brigadier ceremony.
Four years since the dance sport was officially named as a part of the Paris program, India of the Netherlands and Talash of the Refugee Olympic Team got the ball rolling on this afternoon at the iconic landmark in a pre-qualifier won by India 3-0.
With India’s victory, the women’s field of 16 was set and none other than reigning world champion Nicka and home girl Syssy started the round-robin battles.
The B-Boys – whose competition is on Saturday – all sat around the floor to root for their compatriots as the venue rocked like a night club to the beat, with Snoop Dogg, flanked by USA men’s basketball player Bam Adebayo, having a blast in his seat.
And with that, breaking was off to a fast start in the City of Light.
