Joe GallopManchester is to hold the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) European Breaking Championships this year, originally scheduled to take place in Russia.
The competition, organised by DanceSport England and Breaking GB, is set to take place from 5-6 November at Manchester’s Belle Vue Sports Village. The successful bid was supported by Manchester City Council and UK Sport via National Lottery funding.
The athletes will compete to gain qualification points in the build-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where Breaking will feature on the programme for the first time.
UK Sport director of events Simon Morton said, “The chance to bring the WDSF European Breaking Championships to the UK for the first time, something which has been made possible thanks to National Lottery funding, is hugely exciting. With Breaking making its Olympic debut in Paris in less than two years, it’s great that sports fans from across the Northwest and beyond will have the chance to see some of the world’s best breakers up close.”
Manchester City Council’s executive member for skills, employment and leisure, councillor John Hacking said, “Our city has a long history of hosting major sporting events, we were recently voted one of the top ten global cities for sport – making us the perfect place to host the championship. This is an exciting time for Breaking with the sport making its Olympic debut in 2024. These championships offer us a valuable opportunity to connect with a new audience and showcase a new Olympic sport to communities in Manchester.”