Paris 2024: Hong Kong breakdancers set out Olympic qualifying blueprint after World Championships outing

Hong Kong’s representative breakdancers returned from this month’s world breaking championships with hope in their eyes as they opened their campaign for Paris 2024 Olympics qualification.

Four of the city’s top Bboys and Bgirls competed at the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) World Breaking Championships 2021 in Paris, France, in what has been coined a taster for the sport’s official Olympic inclusion.

Breaking, as the International Olympic Committee calls it, featured as a main sport at the 2018 Youth Olympics alongside skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing. It gained full Olympic approval and membership in 2019, and had its monumental place confirmed for the Paris Games last year. It will also debut at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in September after a successful demonstration at Jakarta 2018.

Though team Hong Kong failed to break into the round of 32 at worlds, they return home encouraged by the narrowing gap between themselves and Asia’s best, equipped with a clear set of blueprints for three years’ time.

“From what I saw, I believe our Bboys and Bgirls are not that far off,” said number one-ranked local breaker Chan Ka-yi, also known as Bgirl Lady Little.

“Of course, we need more time to develop, but from more international experience maybe we can get to that level next time around.”

Chan, 24, has been breakdancing for more than 11 years. Starting on the streets of Mong Kok performing to hip-hop-blaring portable speakers, she and her crewmates have since become mainstays of the domestic and regional scenes.

“After so long, I can say that representing Hong Kong at the world championships is definitely something to tick off on my list of accomplishments,” she said.

“This opportunity was hard to come by, and this competition proved that I still have a way to go on this journey, and I need to push myself more to reach my dreams.

“But this is just the start. Next year there will be a lot of Asian competitions – not to mention a big local one in January. The road to Paris 2024 is long and I hope that the Hong Kong team will be recognised in the overseas scene.”

To qualify as one of 16 countries sending a maximum of one Bboy and Bgirl each to the Paris Olympics, the Hong Kong DanceSport Association (HKDSA) will need to whittle Chan and fellow local breakers down at various domestic try-outs and competitions.

Jessica Siu Yue-pui, who previously competed at world championships, is a HKDSA member who was tasked with leading the Hong Kong delegation’s latest Parisian outing. Bgirl Mirage, as she is also known, is optimistic that the city would earn an Olympic spot but they need to familiarise themselves with the judging criteria.

“I don’t think the level difference was as big as we expected – it was very much a case of the judges’ subjectivity on what they like to see,” said the 28-year-old Siu, who also oversees local crew UTLR852 (Under The Lion’s Rock), of which Chan, first-ranked male Tsang Tsz-wa (Bboy Think) and other top national team breakers are members.

“The feedback wasn’t about the points or movements, just the execution looked a bit slower compared to the others, who looked a lot lighter on their feet. So we need to change up our plan.

“We also haven’t been able to travel [abroad] for the past two years, so we felt we were influenced by how things were judged in Hong Kong. We really care about having specific moves or points to say ‘this is how much you’ve done in your round’, but after speaking to the WDSF judges, they care a lot more about musicality and having a good foundation. There is definitely a little bit of luck involved too.”

Aside from Covid-19 travel precautions and mandatory quarantine upon returning, Hong Kong’s sextet (four breakers and two staff) were subject to “lots of bumps” on the way there and back.

“We had two flights cancelled and were so worried we wouldn’t actually make it,” Siu recalled. “The original was supposed to be at midnight, but they cancelled and moved us to a 1.30am flight that stopped over at Manchester [UK]. They cancelled it again half an hour later to a 3.30am direct flight, so a lot of the time we lacked sleep.”

Back in familiar territory – be it sealed in hotels for three weeks – Chan, Siu and Co will be plotting their paths to Paris again. Domestic ranking points will be accrued in between, with the blockbuster Asian Games next year, and the postponed Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and World Urban Games in 2023. Should qualifying follow the format of the 2018 Youth Olympics, there will be two continental qualifiers before an international break-off.

“It will be a lot harder for men because there are competitors with more experience. I think the women have a higher chance,” said Siu, who finished 14th out of more than 200 at the 2018 world championships in Poland.

“The women definitely stand a chance for top 16, but it really depends on the judges, and if we have enough resources to go overseas.”