Breaking? Breakdancing? Whatever

As expected, Canadian breakdancer Phil "Wizard" Kim easily won the gold medal in the inaugural breaking competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

But, apparently, we are not supposed to call it "breakdancing" because the practitioners prefer the label "breaking", and that is what the Olympics Games have officially called it. 

This seems ridiculous to me. It has always been popularly called "breakdancing", and most people, including me, will continue to call it that. The people who are objecting say things like it "oversimplifies and commercializes the artform", and that "the community prefers 'breaking' as it encompasses the deeper cultural and artistic significance of the dance". Furthermore, "it's more about the character, originality and respecting the dance and bringing the essence".

Huh? What does most of that even mean? Talk about gobbledygook! Yes, it's cool to watch, for a while at least, and it's very clever and athletic and acrobatic, if a bit formulaic and grotesque. But it's still just dancing, and it doesn't belong in the Olympic Games. Likewise rhythmic gymnastics (little girls throwing around streamers and hoops: physically impressive and occasionally beautiful, but it belongs in Cirque du Soleil not the Olympics). Ditto surfing (well, I definitely couldn't do it, but it seems like we had to go to literally the other side of the world to find some vaguely French surfing waves, which is kind of ridiculous). I could go on. Pierre de Coubertin is probably doing somersaults in his grave.

For what it's worth, breaking. or breakdancing, or whatever you want to call it, will NOT feature as a sport at the 2028 LA Games. I guess they knew they were probably on dubious ground. Now we need to work on some of those other "sports". Just because there exist international competitions in something does not make it a sport - there are annual hot  dog eating contests and gurning and egg-rolling competitions, but no-one is suggesting they should be Olympic sports. And it's not all about television ratings (or it shouldn't be).