Game on for urban sports making Olympic strides in Paris

A centre dedicated to urban sports and culture opened in Paris on Friday as the city counts down to the 2024 Olympics. Joining the international competition for the first time is breakdancing – also known as "breaking".

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The Spot24 urban sports and culture centre by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. © Thierry Favatier

The Paris Olympics will feature six urban sports: skateboarding, sport climbing, BMX freestyle, surfing, 3x3 basketball and – for the first time – breakdancing.

Helping to promote these endeavoures is Spot24 is a 1,000 square metre space near the Eiffel Tower.

Throughout the year it will feature music, painting, dance and sport.

"It offers an opportunity to promote breakdancing through sport," François Gautret, curator of the Spot24 exhibition, told RFI.

"Forty years ago, during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the New York City Breakers hoped that one day it would be part of the Olympics."

Spot24 is supported by the Paris tourist office Paris Je t'Aime and the Olympics Museum in Lausanne.

Spot24. © Stéphane Laure

'Breaking the Seine' by PichiAvo, a duo of Spanish artists (2023).Graffiti spray print made for Spot24 venue. © PichiAvo/Spot24