China's first breaking national team eyes Paris 2024

Eight breakdancers will represent China in Olympic qualifications, as the first ever Chinese national team of the new Olympic sport was established on Monday.

Led by 2022 WDSF World Breaking Championships silver medalist Liu Qingyi (B-girl 671), the team of four B-boys and four B-girls, secured their berths in the national team through two rounds of trials which ended here on Sunday.

"It was another big honor for me. I have set my goal on Paris 2024 and hope I can get the qualification as early as possible this year so I can prepare some 'secret weapons' for the Olympic Games," said the 17-year-old Liu, who has made a name for herself over the past year with her dynamic and powerful style.

The other three members in the women's team are Zeng Yingying (B-girl Yingzi), Zheng Ziyan (B-girl Ziyan) and Peng Ying (B-girl Daying).

In the men's side, 2018 Youth Olympic quarterfinalist Shang Xiaoyu (B-boy X-rain) will team up with Qi Xiangyu (B-boy Lithe-ing), Zhang Xinjie (B-boy JW fresh) and Yu Ziang (B-boy Eric) to fight for the Olympic spots.

"The most important competitions this year are the World Championships in Leuven, Belgium in September and the Hangzhou Asian Games. The winners of these two events will get a direct ticket to Paris 2024," said Yin Guochen, president of the Chinese Dancesport Federation.

"Besides the worlds and the Asiad, there are some other qualifications where our athletes will participate to collect Olympic ranking points," Yin added.

Breaking, a style of street dance originating in the United States in the 1970s, made its Olympic debut at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018 and was chosen to feature in Paris 2024 as a new sport.

The Paris 2024 breaking competitions will comprise two events - men's solo and women's solo - where 16 B-boys and 16 B-girls will go face to face in solo battles.

Organizers have scheduled the competitions on August 9 and 10, 2024, the last two days before the Paris 2024 closing ceremony, as a closing program of a series of urban sports at the iconic Place de la Concorde.