After Much Pressure, Breaking and Long Time Event May Not Make Cut for 2028 Olympics

Breaking, which made its Olympic debut at the Games in Paris, is unlikely to make the cut for 2028 in Los Angeles.

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; PHIL WIZARD (Canada) celebrates winning the gold medal in breaking during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde. / Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris came to an end on Sunday night with the closing ceremonies. It was an action-packed two weeks with some incredible athletic feats accomplished across several disciplines.

Attention is already turning to the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, which will be held in Los Angeles. For the first time since 1996, when the Games were hosted in Atlanta.

In 2028, we are going to see the return of a few familiar sporting events. Baseball and softball are back on the schedule, as are lacrosse and cricket. For the first time ever, flag football and squash will be played at the Olympics.

It will be interesting to see how the inaugural sports are received. In Paris for the 2024 Games, there were a few new events introduced, such as Breaking. But, after only one appearance, it sounds as if Breaking will not be on the 2028 schedule.

The event seemed to draw solid reviews in Paris, leaving some fans to voice their displeasure wit the decision. Eric Quinlan and Alison Palaia, a husband and wife were two people disappointed in the news.

“We’re pretty bummed out about it, especially because breaking was invented in the U.S, in New York City,” Palaia said.

Created in the 1980s, the dance form with New York roots will be shelved for at least one rotation. While Breaking looks to be off the table for Los Angeles in 2028, Palaia and her husband are holding out hope that the event can return for the 2032 edition of the Summer Games in Brisbane.

“We’ve watched a lot of breaking over the past year, and that final was everything we hoped for,” said Palaia, a 48-year-old artist. “I love the way the athletes get in each others’ faces in a theatrical way, but then after they finished they were hugging and laughing. You can tell they all know each other.”

Breaking being a one-off event at the Olympics won’t surprise some people. But, the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles being without boxing would be shocking.

Unfortunately, that is the direction things are trending toward. An Olympic event since 1904, the mess which the sport’s international leadership currently finds itself in has boxing on the chopping block.

As shared by NBC News, “The Russian-controlled International Boxing Association has essentially been isolated from the world sports community, so a new world governing body will have to coalesce in coming months to make sure the sweet science will be practiced in Los Angeles.

The fledgling World Boxing hopes to be that new international body that can gain enough support from national boxing federations to fill the IBA void.”

Massive crowds flooded Roland Garros, where the French Open is hosted for tennis, to watch the boxing events in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Venues were at capacity for the medal bouts.