Hong Ten, “Have a coffee and go to the Olympics…”

Actor and KBS Breaking commentator Park Jae-min, known as the “tenjuggler” for his many specialties, will be broadcasting the unfamiliar but intriguing sport of breaking at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Breaking, a new sport at the Paris Games, will be represented by 39-year-old “K-Breaking legend” and “Legendary B-boy” Hong Ten (Kim Hong-yeol). He may be the oldest athlete in the sport, but he is also the strongest, and many sports fans are looking forward to his performance as a strong favorite to win the men’s category.

Park has commentated on six sports (snowboarding, freestyle skiing, 3X3 basketball, 5-on-5 basketball, soccer, and breaking) for KBS across the winter and summer sports events. At the Paris Olympics, he also commentated on 3X3 basketball and breaking. The breaking schedule begins on the 9th. The men’s gold medal game is scheduled for 4:23 a.m. on the 11th.

Commissioner Park Jae-min, a former b-boy himself, has a close relationship with Hong Ten, the ‘Breaking National Team‘. He was one of the people who encouraged Hong Ten to go to Paris. “I remember the day when Hong Ten was not thinking about the Olympics for various reasons, but I convinced her over a cup of coffee and brought her to the Korea Dance Sports Federation (KDSF), the organizer of the national selection process,” Park said. “She was excited about her performance, but most of all, she wanted to finish the Olympics, which is the last big gateway in her dance life, in a good way,” Park said.

“I have no doubt that we will have a good result,” he said, but he also added that “regardless of the outcome, I think many people will be comforted and encouraged by the passion, dedication, and hard work of one human being to overcome many impossible conditions to achieve his dream.”

Breaking, which may be unfamiliar to the public, has been known by various names, including “B-boy & B-girl,” “B-boying,” and “breakdancing. “It is a unique sport that has moved from the realm of culture and arts to the realm of sports,” said Park Jae-min, a member of the committee, explaining that this was possible because it has a unique competition called ‘battle’ that competes physical abilities along with artistic features. According to him, breaking is the only sport in which two athletes take turns competing in the same arena.

Other “artistic disciplines,” such as figure skating, snowboarding, and rhythmic gymnastics, give each a chance to perform. However, breaking puts both athletes on the ice at the same time, but alternates between them. A total of nine judges evaluate them in five categories (technical, expression, original, performance, and music), and the athlete who wins more categories wins. “It’s unique and fair,” said Park Jae-min, a member of the committee.

However, breaking, which made its debut at the Paris 파워볼게임 Olympics, will not be recognized at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, so this could be the “first and last Olympic breaking event”.

South Korea’s Hong Ten, born in 1984, is the oldest athlete in the competition, as he will have a one-time chance to win Olympic gold in breaking. The fact that he is nearly 40 years old and competing on the Olympic stage against teens and 20-somethings is ‘dramatic’ in itself.

“Hong Ten’s advantage is that he is a ‘legend’ who has already won the most difficult competitions many times,” says Park Jae-min, “He has the most experience and tactical knowledge, so he has an advantage, and his physical condition has improved a lot, especially in the recent Olympic qualifiers, where he finished second overall.”

“But on the other hand, because she’s been around for so long, all of her strategies and tactics have been exposed, and even the judges who are evaluating her know her dances so well that there’s a lot of pressure on her to come up with newer and fresher moves,” he said. “Add to that how well she overcomes the injuries and physical fatigue she’s accumulated this year, and it’s very important.”

Park also shared tips on how to enjoy watching Olympic Breaking for those who are not familiar with breaking. “First of all, breaking requires the movements to be precisely synchronized with the beat of the music, so it will be much more interesting to watch the dance while counting the beats together,” he said. “Technically, up and down movements, left and right movements, clockwise and counterclockwise movements, and more active and dynamic athletes have an advantage in getting a good score.”

“I know most of the athletes competing in this event personally, and some of them I’ve known for more than 20 years,” he said. “However, just because I’m familiar with the sport doesn’t mean that everyone is familiar with it, so I will provide ‘Park Jae-min’s commentary’ to make this new sport as easy and comfortable as possible for viewers.”

Park Jae-min will be joining KBS’s coverage of Hong Ten’s challenge in breaking, the first official event at the Paris Olympics.