Olympians will soon be dancing their way to gold medals. On December 7, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that breaking will be included in the 2024 Olympics, in Paris, France. Breaking is another word for breakdancing. The activity began in New York City in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
“When it first started, it was always neighborhoods of kids just battling each other,” Victor Montalvo told USA Today. He’s a breakdancer known professionally as Bboy Victor. “Now, it’s big-stage competitions and people flying all over the world.”
Breaking isn’t the only new Olympic sport. Skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing will debut next summer at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The 2020 Olympics were postponed until July 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, the IOC says it aims for the Olympics to be “fit for a post-corona world.” The 2024 Paris games will have fewer athletes and events. The IOC also plans to increase gender equality. For the first time, an equal number of male and female athletes will participate in the Olympics, the committee says. Of the 32 Olympic sports, 28 will have an equal number of male and female participants. And there will be 22 mixed-gender events.
Stop and Think! Why did the author choose the headline “Breaking News”? What other headlines might have worked?
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