Lizzo has ignited a fresh debate about what qualifies as an Olympic sport. During a recent interview shared on X, the singer argued that twerking deserves serious recognition and even suggested it could one day be part of the Olympics. To support her point, she compared it to breakdancing, which recently made Olympic history.
Reflecting on how breaking transitioned from street culture to the Olympic stage, Lizzo questioned why people would dismiss twerking today. She stated, “Back in the ‘80s, do you think people thought breakdancing would be an Olympic sport? No. But I do think twerking is really important. Look at Megan Thee Stallion. You think that can’t go to the Olympics? That is Olympian.”
Her comments arrive at a significant time, as breaking’s Olympic future is currently uncertain. While the dance form made its debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics, it will not appear at the next Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
Lizzo Points to Olympic Breakdancing While Pushing for Twerking and Voguing Recognition
Breaking, officially known as breakdancing, first appeared at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires before joining the full Olympic program at Paris 2024. According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls competed in one-on-one battles judged on creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality. At Paris 2024, Canada’s Phil Wizard won the men’s gold medal, while Japan’s B-Girl Ami became the first-ever women’s Olympic breaking champion.
Despite that success, the IOC confirmed that breaking will not be included at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell explained that each host city can propose additional sports and that breaking was chosen specifically for Paris’ youth-focused vision.
Lizzo’s support for twerking as an Olympic event is not new. During her 2021 TED Talk, covered by Stylist UK, she spoke about the dance’s roots in West Africa and its growth through the American South before becoming popular worldwide. She described twerking as a meaningful cultural practice and also called attention to the need to credit Black creators for its history and development.
In the same recent interview, Lizzo also argued that voguing deserves Olympic attention. She pointed to the athletic skill required in high-level performances and suggested the dance style could be viewed as a competitive sport.
For now, however, twerking and voguing face challenges that breaking already overcame. Breaking has an international governing body, official competition rules, and a judging system through the World DanceSport Federation. Twerking and voguing do not yet have those structures. Whether they can follow a similar path remains unclear, but Lizzo’s comments have once again put the conversation in the spotlight.
