Let’s Move: IOC invites breakers, BMX riders and skaters to show the world their skills in street challenge

Calling all BMX, breaking and skateboarding enthusiasts!

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has unveiled the Let’s Move Street Challenge, a new competition that aims to fuel excitement for the Olympic Qualifier Series and Paris 2024.

The unique digital competition challenges people from all corners of the world to showcase their sporting and creative talent in BMX, breaking and skateboarding. With the vision of being open, accessible and inclusive, and providing inspiration to practise sport, competitors are invited to enter the challenge by submitting a 30-second video of themselves performing their best move.

The Let’s Move Street Challenge also celebrates some of the urban sports that have recently been added to the Olympic Games programme, and the communities and culture that surround them. Following the success of Tokyo 2020, BMX freestyle, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and, for the first time, breaking are set to feature next summer on the Olympic stage.

The Let’s Move Street Challenge 2023 features various competition categories:

• Freestyle Park
• Real Street
• Dirt

Skateboarding Awards (Female/Male)

• Park
• Real Street
• Street Park

Breaking Awards (Female/Male)

• Best Round
• Power Moves
• Footwork

Creative Awards (Mixed Gender)

• Best Produced
• Street Culture
• Most Surprising

The entries will be scored by a panel of expert judges and influential faces from across the three sports. In addition, sports fans will have the opportunity to vote for their “fan favourite” videos. The first-ever Let’s Move Street Challenge winners will be crowned in November, during a streamed show celebrating the sports, their communities and culture, their athletes and the Let’s Move Street Challenge competitors.

The winners of the judges’ awards will unlock an opportunity to witness up-close BMX, breaking and skateboarding athletes’ road to Paris 2024, at a qualifying event for the Olympic Games. The once-in-a-lifetime trip will be a joint experience for the winners, and will include special access to watch the awe-inspiring competition from some of the world’s best, plus the opportunity to go behind the scenes with the events and their athletes.

The Let’s Move Street Challenge aims to inspire and enable young people to embrace the joy of movement and a more active lifestyle by practising urban sports. It builds on the successes of the IOC’s Let’s Move initiative, launched on Olympic Day 2023 following the World Health Organization’s finding that one in four adults and over 80% of young people do not meet the recommended minimum activity levels needed for optimum health.

Two of the barriers to physical activity most often cited by young people are ability and access. Sports including BMX, breaking and skateboarding are often accessible, inclusive and community driven. Through this competition, the IOC hopes to inspire and enable more young people to move using urban sport.

Speaking about the initiative, Olympic gold medallist in BMX freestyle Charlotte Worthington said: “Taking up BMX totally transformed my life. Mentally, it’s taken me to great places of achievement, community and general happiness in what I do in life. Physically, it made me stronger and proud of what my body can do.

“I love the concept of the Let’s Move Street Challenge; the three sports – BMX freestyle, breaking and skateboarding – are really creative. Everyone is going to have their own expression on that, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the most difficult trick, or line. It will be fantastic to see a variety of age groups and levels embrace the challenge, getting creative and putting something of themselves out there. That’s going to inspire someone else, it’s going to inspire me, for sure!”