Breakdancing at the Olympics - overcoming the judging challenge

OK - I have to admit that getting to grips with some of the newer sports in this years Olympics take a bit of time and an open mind.

The idea of Breakdancing (or 'Breaking' so I'm told) debuting as an Olympic sport in Paris is er......a bit challenging, not least in how to judge and assess. For those (unlike myself obviously) who are unfamiliar, the competition is organized into one-on-one battles where dancers, referred to as B-boys and B-girls, perform against each other. The competition format includes a round-robin stage followed by knockout rounds leading to the finals. Each battle consists of a best-of-three rounds, with each dancer performing for up to 60 seconds in response to their opponent's routine.

Want to learn more? Listen to the deep dive.

The judging challenge

But how on earth do you work out who the winner is? Surely it's just so bloody subjective and impossible to judge with any sense of fairness? Is this going to be some sort of Dancing with the Stars 'expert panel' numbered paddle nonsense? Or maybe a bizarre rubric of some sort?

This wonderful article recently published in Wired Magazine does a super job of setting the scene.

The 'comparative' solution

The short video by B-BOY JURSKY does a great job explaining not only the mechanics of the judging approach, but also the philosophy behind it and why it is fundamental to keeping breaking alive and flourishing.

Turns out they use a form of Comparative Judgement. The judges (there are 9 of them) can move their 'slider' in favour of one breaker or the other. In the end, the breaker who influences the battle more strongly will win. Competitors are free to play to their strengths and use their unique approach in each battle.

The winning formula

This system was developed by the World Dance Sport Federation, the organization responsible for managing breaking in the Olympic ecosystem. By taking this approach they can allow the athletes to fully express individual creativity, while at the same time driving down the effects of bias to ensure fairness and transparency.

Will I be watching? I just might. Maybe one day we can all sit at home with a slider and contribute judgements. Now that would be interesting.

Addendum

I am grateful to the people at the Dance Adjudicating Network for providing an update to this post:

"One slight correction: the system used was actually developed in the Breaking community. The architects Niels "Storm" Robitzky, Kevin Gopie and Dominik Fahr had been using and refining it at numerous events years before the involvement of the WDSF.

Also, as far as sitting at home and pushing sliders (we call them 'faders'). We do this remotely during livestreamed events for judge training."