Breakdancing one of four sports proposed for 2024 Olympic Games as squash misses out again

Breakdancing is set to feature at the 2024 Paris Olympics after a shock announcement by organisers which deals another blow to hopes that squash would be included.

The acrobatic style of street dance, typically set to hip-hop or funk music has never been considered before for an Olympics. It is now set for inclusion alongside climbing, skateboarding and surfing, which are already confirmed for Tokyo 2020.

The four sports are all set to feature pending final approval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Explaining the decision to include breakdancing, Paris 2024 said it was an "urban, universal and popular sport with more than a million BBoys and BGirls in France".

"We propose to bring the breakdance and its famous battles at the Paris 2024 Games for the first time in the history of the Games," organisers added.

The four extra sports come on top of the 28 sports already on the programme. Squash has been repeatedly rebuffed, despite its huge popularity in the UK.

Local organisers must submit the recommended list to the IOC which will make a decision in December 2020, following the Tokyo Games.

Breakdancing appeared at last year's Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, in the form of "battles" -- or duels -- decided by judges, and falls under the auspices of the World Dance Sport Federations (WDSF).

The IOC and OCOG have already said the number of participating athletes will be capped at 10,500, a reduction from the Tokyo maximum, for the 2024 Games, limiting the hopes of team sports. Local organisers also suggested the need for the construction of new permanent venues would likely count against sports pushing to be included.

The IOC said in a statement that it welcomed Paris 2024's efforts to reach a younger audience. "We are pleased to see that Paris 2024’s proposal for new sports to the Olympic programme is very much in line with the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020, which is striving to make the Olympic programme gender-balanced, more youth-focused and more urban," the statement said.

"The Olympic Programme Commission will now review this proposal and will make a recommendation to the IOC Executive Board, while the final decision will be taken by an IOC Session.”