IOC ‘breaks out’ qualifying schedule for World DanceSport Federation

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the qualifying period for Breaking at the Olympic Games for Paris 2024. The time-frame for competition will run from July 2022 thru June 2024.

The qualification period for the Olympic Games will conclude with the launch of the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS), a new competition series to be held from March to June 2024. The OQS will include other disciplines other than Breaking. BMX freestyle, skateboarding, and sport climbing are also set to take place from March-June 2024, just a month out from the start of Paris 2024.

Not familiar with ‘Breaking”? Check out the this Breaking Life trailer.

Sixteen b-boys and 16 b-girls will compete at in Paris in 2024. The 32 Breakers will qualify for the Olympic Games as follows:

* 20 (10 b-girls and 10 b-boys) via the OQS;

* 10 (5 b-girls and 5 b-boys) directly via Continental Games/Championships; and

* 2 (1 b-girl and 1 b-boy) directly via the 2023 WDSF World Championship.

Forty athletes in total will qualify to compete in the OQS. They are:

* 5 athletes from the 2023 World Championship;

* 15 athletes from the 2023 Continental Games and/or Continental Championship;

* 14 athletes from the Breaking for Gold (BfG) Ranking List; and

* 6 host & universality quota entry athletes

Direct qualifiers will draw from the 2023 World Championships and Continental Games. Winners of the 2023 European Games, Asian Games and Pan American Games will all qualify directly for Paris 2024, while the winners of Continental Championships in Africa and Oceania (still TBD) will also book their tickets to Paris.

The first event will be the WDSF Breaking For Gold (BfG) Challenge Series in Montreal on September 4, 2022.

The BfG ranking list will be based on the points that athletes have accumulated during the qualifying period for the Continental Games and the Breaking for Gold Series.

For the BfG Series, the greatest number of ranking points will be awarded at the BfG World Series, followed by the BfG International Series, and finally the BfG Challenge Series. The Continental Championships, meanwhile, will be open to all Breakers with NMBs in each respective continent and will offer the same ranking points as the World Series.

Due to the restrictions implemented by some countries due to COVID-19, the World DanceSport Federation has decided to combine this year’s World Breaking Championship in Seoul with the WDSF Breaking for Gold World Series.

The combined event, which will be held in October, will allow all eligible Breakers to participate and earn ranking points for the OQS. Unlike the World Championships, which only have two athletes per gender, the combined event will allow all athletes to participate.