Breaking and Skating Go to Africa: 24 Young Breakers, Two Days, Dakar 2026
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Young b-boys battle at an event in Fujian, China. Not a Dakar photo: this is what youth breaking looks like around the world. Photo: Panic 39.
Twenty-four teenagers, two days, one floor in Dakar. On November 12 and 13, breaking takes the stage at the Youth Olympic Games, and for the first time in history, an Olympic event is being held on the African continent. Street skateboarding gets its own two days at the same venue a week earlier.
This isn't the senior Olympics. It's the Youth Olympic Games: 12 b-boys and 12 b-girls, all 17 or younger, picked through the WDSF youth ranking and a quota system that prioritized every continent, with a development focus on Africa. Breaking first appeared at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in 2018. Dakar is its second time.
The schedule
All competition is at the Complexe Tour de l'Œuf in Dakar:
- Thursday, Nov 12: B-Girls and B-Boys pre-selection and round robin.
- Friday, Nov 13: quarterfinals, semifinals, bronze medal battles and gold medal battles for both B-Girls and B-Boys.
Dakar is eight hours ahead of Pacific time, so US fans should plan to catch the replays. Check the official Olympics site for start times, since schedules can change.
Who's in
The WDSF has published the full roster.
B-Boys: Holy Rain (China), Lil Machine (Colombia), Ill Will (Denmark), Sunny (Hong Kong), Leo (Italy), Edgar (Latvia), Bilel (Morocco), David (Netherlands), Littleman (Poland), Papis (Senegal), Saturn (Chinese Taipei) and Gera (Belarus).
B-Girls: A2K (Bulgaria), Mini Ali (Spain), Queen Lolita (France), Melkez (Germany), Hiyo (Japan), Aizara (Kazakhstan), Minji (Korea), Nawel (Morocco), Reese (Malaysia), Suzz (Senegal), Nikastar (Ukraine) and Krazy (USA).
The USA's lone entry on the WDSF list is B-Girl Krazy. Senegal's hometown reps are B-Boy Papis and B-Girl Suzz, with Morocco sending two of its own, Bilel and Nawel.
Names to know
The WDSF has been profiling the field. Italy's Leo came to breaking from competitive surfing. Korea's 15-year-old Minji moved to Seoul to train with Hong 10 after surgeries. Bulgaria's A2K balances elite breaking with physics and astronomy. France's Lolita started in 2020 and made it to Dakar in about six years.
Skateboarding is in Dakar too
Breaking isn't the only street culture on this stage. Street skateboarding is on the program at the same venue, the Complexe Tour de l'Œuf, on November 4 and 5, per the Dakar organizing committee's schedule. Team USA's lone skater is Julian Agliardi of Long Beach, California.
Julian is 16, and he already has two X Games bronze medals: Men's Skateboard Street at Salt Lake City in 2025 and Men's Skateboard Street Best Trick at New Orleans in 2026. He won the Mystic Sk8 Cup in Prague in 2024, and he rides for Disorder, the board brand led by Nyjah Huston (we covered Nyjah's SLS Paris win). Skating and breaking came up in the same streets, the same parks and the same parking lots, so it's fitting that both get their turn on the same floor in Dakar.
Video: The Olympic Games (@olympics) on Instagram.
Why it matters for the culture
Whatever you think about breaking in the Olympic system, the picture is bigger than medals. Kids in Senegal, Morocco, Malaysia and Kazakhstan are now training for a dance that came from Black and Puerto Rican neighborhoods in the Bronx. The skills and the style are global, and the roots stay with the originators. As the sport grows, so does the job of passing that history on.
From us at Panic 39: it's amazing how hip hop as a whole has united the globe through dance, music and art. Seeing b-boys and b-girls in Africa practice a dance that started in the Bronx is a testament to that. We've seen it ourselves, from kids battling in China to crews in Las Vegas and LA.
One more note: breaking is not on the LA28 program, so the Youth Olympics and the WDSF circuit are where the next generation will be seen. Next up are the Red Bull BC One World Final in Toronto on November 29 and the WDSF World Championships in Paris on December 4-6.
Quick answers for anyone new to this
What's the difference between the Youth Olympics and the Olympics? The Youth Olympic Games are for athletes 17 and under and also act as a testing ground for new sports and formats.
What's a round robin? Everybody battles everybody in their group, then the top dancers move into knockout rounds.
Is it breaking or breakdancing? Breaking. The people doing it are b-boys and b-girls.
Is skateboarding at the Youth Olympics too? Yes. Street skateboarding is on the Dakar 2026 program on November 4 and 5.
Looking for gear made for the circle? Check out our Breaking collection.
Sources: WDSF athlete announcement, Olympics.com Dakar 2026 schedule, WDSF format guide, USOPC Team USA announcement, X Games: Julian Agliardi, Monster Energy: Julian Agliardi, Dakar 2026 schedule of events.
This story was written with the help of AI and reviewed by Panic 39 before publishing.
