The Story of Olympics Skateboarding
By
Will Brown
Contributor Updated: 05 August 2024
Will Brown Contributor
William Brown is a Content Writer with strong expertise in US and global gambling industry trends. Having covered the local sports betting market since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, William approaches his gambling guides with passion and diligence. He is a keen player of online slots, blackjack, and a regular sports bettor.
Olympics Skateboarding
From its humble beginnings as a Californian sport craze in the 1950s to its programming in the Tokyo 2020 games, Olympics skateboarding will continue to fascinate audiences at the Paris 2024 games. But how did this sport go from its counter-culture roots to being a major sport recognized by the International Olympic Committee? In this guide, we’ve tracked the history of the sport and the long process to get it finally included in the Olympics program.
Is Skateboarding a Sport in the Olympics?
If anyone was still asking the question, “Is skateboarding a sport?”, it should be clear now that it is. But how did it get to the stage when it was internationally respected? We’ve started this guide by discussing the history of the activity and its popularity with youth in particular.
From there, we’ve detailed the process of the sport’s consideration as an Olympic event to its launch at the Tokyo 2020 games. You will also learn about how the sport works at an Olympic level, which is especially important to know if you intend to bet on the Olympic Games.
- The History of Competitive Skateboarding
- The Push for Olympics Skateboarding
- Establishing Skateboarding Authorities
- Implementation of Olympic Skateboarding
- How Olympics Skateboarding Works
- Tokyo 2020: Skateboarding’s Debut
- Impacts of Olympics Skateboarding
The History of Competitive Skateboarding
Skateboarding was invented in the late 1950s in California but rose to prominence in the 1960s. It was originally developed by surfers who wanted an alternative to surfing when the waves were unfavorable. The first boards consisted of wooden plans with roller skate wheels, with the first commercial boards launching in the 1960s.
The board was a hit with the youth of the day, and it continues to be a sport favored by younger demographics who are notably more fearless of risks. While the end of the 60s saw the activity wane in popularity, there was a massive resurgence in the 70s after the safety and reliability of the boards were improved.
The 1970s saw the first skate parks built, which gave spaces for skaters to practise and meet like-minded people. Vertical or “vert” skateboarding was also developed, with pioneers such as the Z-Boys showcasing skills in large, curved ramps. In 1975, the first National Skateboarding Championships were held in the USA.
In the 80s, street skating was popularised, which saw tricks such as the ollie and kickflip invented. This continues to be the most popular form of modern skateboarding. A skateboards sports authority called the National Skateboard Association was launched, which held professional competitive events.
However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that skateboarding’s popularity exploded into the zeitgeist. The first X Games was held by ESPN in 1995 and ushered in a new era of sports stars, including Tony Hawk and Bob Burnquist. Streetwear skateboarding brands became the fashion, and skateboarding video games became blockbuster hits.
With competitions attracting huge crowds and skaters attracting huge sponsorship deals, the foundation was laid for Olympics skateboarding. The sport began to gain prestige, though it has still kept its grassroots, youthful edge to it.
The Push for Olympics Skateboarding
While the sport was at the peak of its popularity in the early 2000s, a push began to develop to make skateboarding a sport event at the Olympics. Several major sports organizations such as the International Skateboarding Federation (ISF) and the World Skateboarding Federation (WSF) began to campaign on the sport’s behalf.
However, there was some resistance from the skateboarding community, after controversy around the International Olympics Commitee’s (IOC) handling of snowboarding in the 1998 Winter Olympics. The IOC had forced the established International Snowboarding Federation to collapse under a larger rival, which irked skaters.
Despite this, organizations understood that the sport deserved the recognition of other major athletic events. It also sold itself due to its appeal to younger audiences, and its inclusion could help to modernize the games and keep them relevant. The IOC saw its merits, and began the process of implementing Olympics skateboarding.
Skateboards Sports Authority Bodies
In 2004, the International Skateboarding Federation (ISF) was formed to represent recognized competitions and the professional skateboarding community. Wary of the IOC after its actions with the International Snowboarding Federation, the ISF was adamant that it would not fold under the International Roller Sports Federation (IRSF).
If you’re wondering when did skateboarding become an Olympic sport, it was first announced by the IOC in 2016. This was met with both excitement and disgust by the skater community, with some hailing it as a betrayal of the sports’ counter-culture roots and others hailing it as a legitimizing development.
By 2017, a deal was met between the ISF and the IRSF, and the bodies merged to create the World Skate federation skateboards sports authority. This was recognized by the IOC, which meant that the body could work toward having skateboarding included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics program.
Over the subsequent years, World Skate worked to standardize competition formats and developed new safety regulations. It also set standards for international athlete representation and ensured it met the IOC’s inclusion requirements.
Implementation of Olympic Skateboarding
Skateboarding was announced as a new Olympic sport in 2016 alongside surfing, sport climbing, karate, and baseball. It was listed in the IOC’s Agenda 2020 in time for its debut in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In the preceding years, World Skate developed a rankings system to fill the athlete quotas.
The qualifications were determined by several international competitions, including the World Skateboarding Championship and the World Skate SLS World Championship. Both men and women’s events would be held, with two events showcasing athlete’s skills: skate and park. By the first games, 80 athletes had been recruited.
How Olympics Skateboarding Works
The two skateboarding events in the Olympics, skate and park, consist of very different structures and obligations. In the street event, skaters must navigate a course that is set up like an urban environment. This includes rails, stairs, and ledges. Skaters perform two 45-second runs and five single tricks in each run.
The tricks are scored by an expert panel, based on their difficulty, execution, originality, and style. Each trick is graded between 0 and 100, with the four top-scoring tricks adding to their final score. In the park skateboarding events, skaters compete in a bowl-shaped course with curves and inclines.
The skaters have three 45-second runs, and, like the street skating event, they are scored on their proficiency in the course and the tricks performed. The skater with the highest total scores wins. This Olympics skateboarding judging model was developed in accordance to previous major competitions to make Olympic skateboarding a sport recognizable to its fans.
Tokyo 2000: The First Olympics Skateboarding Event
The debut of skateboarding at the Olympics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics technically happened in 2021, after the games were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was plenty of attention on the sport, with many interested to see how it would be performed. The end result was a hit, and the events were praised for their modernity and youthful energy.
A total of 80 skateboarders competed in the events representing 25 nations, with Japan and the US having the most participants at 10 each. Japan took three of the four gold medals, with Australia taking one. Highlights include the 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya winning gold in women’s street skateboarding.
Another highlight was the participation of one of the sport’s biggest stars, Nyjah Huston of the USA, in the men’s street event. This reflects the success of youthful athletes in the sport, with all of the gold medallists being under 22 at the time.
The Impact and Future of Olympics Skateboarding
While some Olympic events come and go without ever being held again, skateboarding will not be one of them. It is set to run for its second-year in the Paris 2024 Olympics program, with the quotas expanded to include 88 skaters. The ranking system has also been refined to be fairer and more accurate.
Many of the faces will be fresh, though Australia’s golf-winning Keegan Palmer is set to compete again in the street event. Already, the impacts of the Olympics inclusion can be seen, with a new generation of skateboarders introduced to the event and greater focus on women’s place in the male-dominated sport.
Olympic skateboarding will also undoubtedly attract a younger demographic to the entire games, which will ensure the longevity of the event into the future. We doubt that in another fifty years time, people will still be wondering, “Is skateboarding in the Olympics?”
