Olympic breaking is underway, with b-girl India winning the first battle in Games history

Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — B-girl India from the Netherlands beat refugee team member b-girl Talash in the first ever breaking battle at the Olympics, kicking off the women’s competition as breaking — or break dancing — debuted at the Paris Games. India Sardjoe — known as “b-girl India” — advanced after beating Manizha Talash, or “b-girl Talash,” in the sole pre-qualifying matchup before the round-robin stage. The one-off pre-qualifier was added when Talash was a late addition to the Olympic roster because the b-girl from Afghanistan missed registration for qualifying events. The International Olympic Committee’s executive board invited her to participate after learning of her efforts to defy the strict rule of the Taliban in her home country.