UK Sport has awarded Breaking GB £135,000 to support the qualification prospects of British breakers in the build-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Breaking GB, the body with responsibility for taking breakers to Paris, will use the funds to support a cohort of around seven athletes with ambitions to secure one of up to four places (two men and two women) on the British team for the sport’s Olympic debut in two years.
The investment comes ahead of Manchester hosting the 2022 World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) European Breaking Championships on the 5th and 6th November.
Dr Kate Baker, Director of Performance at UK Sport, said: “We are pleased to cement our support of Breaking with this investment offer. With the best breakers from across Europe about to descend on Manchester for the European Championships, this is an exciting time for the sport.
“This investment illustrates our commitment to a wider group of sports and athletes in our Olympic and Paralympic high-performance community and we are excited about the prospect of British breakers playing their part in providing inspirational moments for new and existing sports fans alike to enjoy.”
She added: “We saw the immense success of new freestyle sports in Tokyo, including skateboarding and BMX Freestyle which captured the imagination of the public and produced some of the iconic sporting moments of the Games. Breaking has the potential to produce similarly memorable moments in Paris.”
Oliver 'Hooch’ Whittle, President at Breaking GB said: “We're stoked with the award of the UK Sport investment fund, to support our gifted B-Girls & B-Boys in their preparation towards Paris 2024. This is just the beginning of a journey of development and growth for our sport. The fact that Breaking will be taking its place alongside the other freestyle sports on the Place de la Concorde at the Olympic Games will be one of the most iconic moments in our history and will showcase Breaking at the very highest level to the World.”
This support for Breaking GB comes from the National Squad Support Fund investment stream, which was launched in 2021 and enables athletes to attend major international championships and access other events that form the critical path to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.