Section 4: Players & Officials
4.1 Athletes (B-Boys and B-Girls)
Competitors in breaking are referred to as B-Boys (male) and B-Girls (female). Athletes compete individually in 1v1 battles. Each athlete must be registered with their national federation and hold a valid WDSF athlete license for international competition. Athletes must pass any required anti-doping controls administered by WADA or the relevant national anti-doping agency. Minimum age for WDSF senior international competition is 16 years.
4.2 Judging Panel
WDSF breaking competitions at the Olympic and World Championship level use a panel of nine (9) judges. Judges are certified through the WDSF Breaking Adjudication Programme and must demonstrate expertise in breaking culture, movement vocabulary, and competitive evaluation. The judging panel is arranged to provide multiple viewing angles of the battle area. Each judge independently evaluates the athletes using the Trivium judging system. The highest and lowest scores are dropped, and the remaining seven scores determine the round winner. Judges must declare any conflicts of interest (e.g., coaching relationships) and may be recused at the head judge's discretion.
4.3 Head Judge
The head judge oversees the judging panel, resolves disputes, and ensures the integrity of the adjudication process. The head judge does not score battles but has authority to overrule procedural violations, issue warnings, and refer matters to the WDSF Disciplinary Panel. In the event of a tied score after the standard judging process, the head judge casts the deciding vote.
4.4 MC (Master of Ceremonies)
The MC manages the flow of the competition, introduces athletes, announces round results, and maintains the energy and atmosphere of the event. The MC must remain neutral, avoid commentary that could influence judges, and follow the official event script. The MC coordinates with the DJ and head judge on timing and event progression.
4.5 DJ
The DJ selects and plays music for all battles. Music selection is at the DJ's creative discretion but must be drawn from genres rooted in breaking culture — primarily hip-hop, funk, breakbeat, and soul. The DJ must not play tracks that give an unfair advantage to any specific athlete (e.g., a known signature track). The DJ controls the start and end of each round's music and must maintain consistent tempo and energy appropriate to the battle's progression.