Since when is skate an olympic sport and why?
Skateboarding is an Olympic sport at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Find out since when it has been Olympic and if it will be in future editions.
The Tokyo Olympic Games will be the first time that skateboarding is an Olympic discipline. After the Rio 2016 games, the IOC accepted that skateboarding, baseball, surfing, karate and climbing will be present at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Skateboarding will be an Olympic sport for the first time in Tokyo due to the growing interest in urban sports. Skateboarding was first practiced in the 1940s and has increased in popularity until today.
Being an urban sport, music is very important and will be present during the competition.
Skateboarding’s Olympic debut continues! 🛹
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 22, 2021
This morning the women of the first-ever Brazilian and Japanese skateboarding teams hit the Ariake Urban Sports Park to get acquainted with the street course.
Who will be the first women's Olympic skateboarding gold medallist? pic.twitter.com/RFCFbpHVgx
What categories does Olympic skateboarding have?
Olympic skateboarding in Tokyo 2021 is under the supervision of the World Skateboarding Federation. This means that it will have two modes: Street and Park.
- Street mode: This discipline consists of a straight circuit with obstacles such as curbs, railings, walls and benches. Each skateboarder must show his best moves in each obstacle to get the best score.
- Park mode: this discipline takes place on a circuit with difficult slopes and curves. Sometimes the walls are almost vertical and the skaters must bring out their best skills to complete the circuit in the shortest time possible.
Will skateboarding be at the Paris Games?
Although skateboarding will be debuted at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, that does not mean that the decision is made for future Olympic games. The IOC will meet when the competition is over in Tokyo and decide if skateboarding will be included in the Olympics in Paris 2024.
Not until the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 are finished will it be known whether or not skateboarding will be included in the next Olympic competitions.