Does breakdancing belong in the Olympics? As the 'sport' is added for the first time at the Paris Games, scientist dubbed 'The Breakdancing Professor' reveals why it's 'more than just a dance'

It has controversially been added to the Olympic roster for the very first time. 

But does breakdancing really belong at the Olympic Games?

As the 2024 Games kick off in Paris, researchers have revealed their verdict on whether breakdancing – dubbed 'breaking' by the Olympic Committee – is a legitimate sport. 

Gary Burnett, a lecturer at Loughborough University who is also known as 'The Breakdancing Professor', told MailOnline that breaking 'definitely deserves to be in the Olympics' because it is 'very athletic' and requires a 'huge amount of strength'. 

However, not everyone agrees, with Australian squash great, Michelle Martin, claiming the Olympic Games had become a 'mockery' after breaking was added.

Emerging in New York in the 1980s, the energetic street dance involves body spins, handstands and quick footwork, all improvised to a hip hop soundtrack. 

At the Olympics, athletes known as B-boys and B-girls will engage in a one-on-one dance-off in an attempt to impress the judges.  

Professor Burnett, who was a semi-professional breaker in the 1980s, explained: 'Breaking is especially exciting compared to more clearly defined sports in the Olympics.

'What has also always been there since the beginning is the back-and-forth competitive angle. 

'One person would do a "move", then their rival would look to do the same thing better, or in a different or unique way. 

'Over the years this has been expanded upon with a wider range of base moves, including various elements from gymnastics – but the basic riffing premise remains.' 

Professor Burnett, now an expert in digital creativity at Loughborough's school of arts and design, describes breaking as 'extremely inclusive' because it doesn't require expensive kit. 

'The only expenses for me as a teenager in the early 1980s was my train ticket to London to watch and learn from the best dancers of the time (these are the days before YouTube tutorials!), a roll of lino to practice on and plenty of cans of polish to make the lino more slippy,' he told MailOnline.

Now in his mid-50s, Professor Burnett doesn't breakdance anymore, largely because of the immense physical demands it makes on the body. 

Claire Warden, a professor of performance and physical culture at Loughborough University, agrees that 'breaking is a sport because of its athleticism'.

'Breaking has a long, fascinating cultural history,' she told MailOnline. 

'It began with young largely impoverished African-American and Latino communities and grew to be the global sport it is now. 

'It is quite exciting to think that this anti-establishment practice is entering the Olympic Games.

'It has a competitive side that has always been there from its inception so it makes for a great addition to the Olympics.' 

Breaking takes its place alongside more prestigious events such as javelin-throwing and pentathlon that were part of the ancient Olympics over 2,000 years ago. 

But Professor Warden thinks we shouldn't be surprised when new sports are added to the Olympics because the games have 'consistently evolved'.

'Time and time and time again, it has shifted and changed, moved with the times and responded to culture to attract new audiences,' she said. 

'There are already sports at the Olympics at the intersection of sport and performance art the same way breaking is – so synchronised swimming, rhythmic gymnastics.' 

Breaking is the only new entry in this year's games – with karate, softball and baseball all removed after being added to the roster for Tokyo 2020. 

Each competitor's score will be determined by judges who will assess performance across five factors – musicality, vocabulary, originality, technique and execution. 

Professor Warden said it's 'tricky to predict' who will take gold, but American B-boy Victor Montalvo and Lithuanian B-girl Dominika Banevic, also known as Nicka, are the currently world champions. 

'They would seem the obvious choices, but with the pressure of the Olympics and a large global audience watching on, who knows,' she said. 

The inclusion of breaking has proved decisive however, with commentators on social media describing it as 'stupidly ridiculous' and '[making] me want to vomit'. 

When it was announced to be coming to Paris 2024, Australian former professional squash player Michelle Martin said 'it's sort of making a mockery of what the Olympics is'. 

'The Olympics was all about a score, or it was a running race,' she told AAP in 2020. 

'There was a definitive answer and results to sports. 

'You bring in all these judging things and it just gets so corrupt and so out of control – I just don’t get it anymore.' 

Dr Scott Goddard, a researcher in physical health at Southern Cross University in Australia, pointed out that breaking has already been removed from the line-up for Los Angeles 2028. 

'This likely limits its perceived legitimacy – it becomes more of a novelty or one off, rather than given the opportunity to become a more of a staple,' he told MailOnline.

'But overall I do think it is good that more athletes get an opportunity to showcase their talents.'