Hong Kong bidding to host 2 breakdancing qualifiers for Paris Olympics

“WDSF has already said no one will compete on Christmas, so we are now awaiting official confirmation of the competition dates from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.”

The Gold World Series event would count as one of the Paris Olympics ranking tours, and would be expected to attract around 450 athletes, and cost around HK$3 million for the two days.

Breaking makes its Olympic debut in 2024 in Paris, with only 16 men and 16 women competing at the Games. Ten of those spots will come from the qualifying series, five from regional championships, including the Asian Games, and one from the WDSF World Championships.

The world series presents the first stage of qualification, with seven events starting in February in Kitakyushu, Japan. Athletes will compete for ranking points to advance to the qualifying series in 2024, where only 40 dancers, including those from the host countries, will battle it out for a place at the Games.

Lam Sang-yuen, chairman of the Hong Kong DanceSport Association Breaking Division and a WDSA-licensed judge, said they were bidding process to host one of the Olympic Qualifying Series events.

“We have already submitted our application, and we are hopeful that our bid will be successful in creating a favourable environment and a home advantage for Hong Kong breakers,” Lam, who competes under the name B-Boy Fishball, said. “We want to show the world that Hong Kong dancers are fearless and brave in the face of challenges.”

Sze Ka-yam, also known as B-Boy C Plus, one of Hong Kong’s six male team members, welcomed the opportunity to host a qualifier, saying having a home crowd behind them would provide more motivation than pressure.

The 29-year-old finished 50th at his debut World Championships in South Korea in October, and he is presently 89th on the Olympics qualifier ranking list.

According to Lam, the city’s breaking committee will send the top three B-Boys and B-Girls, including Sze and Tsang Tsz-wa (B-Boy Think), to Tokyo for training before the Gold World Series begins at the end of February.