Australian Olympic “athlete” Raygun’s disastrous breakdancing performance at the Olympics was so cringe-inducing that it single-handedly annihilated the “sport’s” chances of appearing at the 2028 Los Angeles games.
The International Olympic Committee removed breakdancing from the 2028 program before the Paris Olympics even began, signalling a massive vote of no confidence in the World DanceSport Federation’s ability to put on a legitimate Olympic event.
WDSF President Shawn Tay tried to spin the humiliating defeat as an opportunity to “show the Olympic Movement that it will be missing out” by putting on a good show in Paris. But his desperate pleas for a second chance ring hollow in light of Raygun’s pitiful display.
The fact is, breakdancing simply does not belong in the Olympics, and the IOC wisely recognized that before it could further embarrass itself on the global stage.
Tay’s grandiose claims about breaking being “a sport popular among youths from diverse backgrounds” and “rooted in beautiful values such as inclusivity” are laughable. In reality, breakdancing is a niche hobby that has been co-opted by the Olympics in a misguided attempt to appear hip and relevant to younger audiences.
The IOC has now come to its senses and realized that breakdancing has no place among legitimate Olympic sports like swimming, gymnastics and track and field. So let this be a lesson to the WDSF and other fringe “sports” organisations: the Olympics is not a participation trophy.
If you want to be taken seriously, you need to demonstrate actual athletic skill and merit, not just empty platitudes about “inclusivity.” Breakdancing had its shot and blew it.
Now it’s time for the IOC to focus on the real sports that make the Olympics great.
