HOUSTON – A new sport is debuting at this year’s Olympic games in Paris and a Houston man has learned he will be among those competing.
Jeffrey Louis, also known as B-Boy Jeffro, is a breakdancer from Alief. He announced on his Instagram page Sunday that he has qualified to compete this year in the new Olympic sport of “Breaking.”
Louis went to Westside High School and the University of Houston.
He is considered one of the best in the world. He says his moves and gravity-defying acrobats were influenced by his growing up in Houston.
“Houston, the culture, is so diverse. It’s like a melting pot of different styles, languages, characters,” Louis told KPRC 2′s Daniella Guzman.
He was introduced to breakdancing by his older brother. They have traveled the world competing together.
Louis has been getting a lot of recognition in recent world competitions, winning silver for Team USA.
“But it still feels weird to me that people see me as a, like, oh he’s number one. He’s a contender for a gold medal at the Olympics. I’m just, like, it’s still crazy to think that,” Louis said.
Surprisingly, when he learned “Breaking” would be an Olympic sport in 2024, his first reaction was not competing or winning.
“I was like, alright, let me see, how can I be a part of it? Not even competing, just how could I be a part of it,” he explained to Daniella.
Louis believes the sport being added to the Olympics will be positive for breakdancing and the culture.
“There’s little to no education, globally, about breaking. So, I feel like this is an opportunity to educate everybody about what breaking is exactly and the life skills it brings, instills, in people,” Louis said.
“Breaking is... it’s a party. And I think that’s what’s gonna add to the whole Olympics platform.”
WHAT IS THE COMPETITION FORMAT?
According to nbcolympics.com, 16 men and 16 women (called “B-Boys” and “B-Girls”) will compete, with a round robin followed by quarterfinals, semifinals and medal battles. Each battle features a best-of-three one-on-one contest of approximately one minute. When one breaker finishes their round, their opponent instantly begins their routine in a battle format. A panel of nine judges score the B-Boys and B-Girls on six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality. Performativity and creativity hold the most weight (60%), and the other categories account for the other 40%.
WHEN WILL THE OLYMPIC BREAKING COMPETITIONS BE HELD?
B-Boys and B-Girls will battle on August 9 and 10.
WHERE WILL THEY BATTLE?
The venue is La Concorde Urban Park. The total capacity for spectators watching the breaking competition will be 25,000.