Brisbane Breakdancers Aim for 2032 Olympic Spotlight

Inside Brisbane's historic City Hall, 200 breakdancers from 33 countries are battling for more than medals this weekend. They're fighting to secure breaking's place at the 2032 Olympic Games.

Eighteen-year-old Benji Cogdell-Baird, known as Benmx in the breaking world, found the sport when his family needed it most. After his brother suffered a cardiac arrest following their move to Queensland, his parents enrolled him in breaking to help him cope with the stress.

"It was explosive and powerful. I just ended up falling in love with it straight away," the Gold Coast teen said. Now he's on a mission to show Australians what they might have missed about the sport after Paris 2024's headline-making moment.

Breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris, where Australian competitor Raygun's unconventional performance went viral but failed to score points. While the moment dominated headlines, professional breakers say it only showed a tiny slice of their dynamic sport.

"Paris 2024 was an amazing success for breaking," said Luke Brown, general secretary of DanceSport Australia. "But we're moving forward in a way that showcases all of our athletes and their own individual personalities and flavours."

The strategy seems to be working. Brown reports that breaking registrations are actually climbing across Australia and worldwide, not declining. The World DanceSport Federation competition in Brisbane is drawing top talent, including 17-year-old B-Girl Royal from China, currently ranked number one in the world for youth.

Professional breaker Jeff Dunne, who competed in Paris as J-Attack, experienced the Olympic stage firsthand with five billion viewers watching. He's hopeful Brisbane can deliver that global platform again in 2032.

The Ripple Effect

Breaking's Olympic journey matters beyond the competition floor. For young athletes like Benmx, the sport provides community and purpose during difficult times. The art form connects dancers across continents who share the same dedication and discipline.

The weekend's Brisbane showcase represents breaking's most important audition before Olympic committees decide which new sports to include in 2032. Breaking won't appear in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, making Brisbane potentially its last Olympic chance.

World DanceSport Federation President Shawn Tay called the Brisbane competition "perhaps the most important event" before the final decision. With top athletes and young world champions spinning, flipping, and freezing across Brisbane's stage, they're proving one thing: breaking deserves to be seen live, not just in viral clips.