News detail

Breaking Vlaanderen, the breaking division of Danssport Vlaanderen, has submitted a bid in collaboration with Golazo/Sportizon, the Flemish Government, and the city of Leuven to bring the WDSF World Championship Breaking to Leuven in 2023. We have to wait until September for the outcome; there are several candidates, but the bidders are hopeful.

Bboy Tirock - Picture by @david_jacowbski

“Like Flanders, Golazo also has a strategy to bring top sports events with international appeal here,” says Michel Francken of Golazo/Sportizon. “We did this very successfully in 2019 with the European Hockey Championships in Antwerp. This year we are co-organizing the UCI Road World Championships in Flanders, and next year we will bring the FIBA 3x3 World Cup to Antwerp. We have been organizing Unbreakable for years and work very well with Breaking Vlaanderen on that.”

“A World Championship in our own country is a catalyst for a growing sport,” says Stijn (Stanny) Luyten, technical director of elite sports at Breaking Vlaanderen. “Not least for our own athletes. With the Flemish Olympic Breaking plan, Flanders is one of the first in the world to have an Olympic plan on the table, and with bgirl Madmax, we even have our first full-time athlete in service. We like to be at the forefront and want to continue to innovate to provide the breaking community with a platform for development. Hosting the WDSF World Championship Breaking in Flanders, just a stone’s throw from the Olympic Games the following year in Paris, is fully in line with our objectives.”

The total cost of organizing the WDSF World Championship Breaking is estimated at over €1.3 million. The Flemish Government is allocating €450,000 for this, and the City of Leuven supports the initiative with €150,000. Additionally, the city plans to invest €225,000 in pre- and post-events to structurally promote the art form and sport of breaking in Leuven.