From Parks to Paris - A Spotlight on Olympic Skateboarding

“I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport.”

The above are the words of skateboarding great Tony Hawk, who is considered a pioneer of modern skateboarding. Twenty-one years on from Hawk's retirement, Skateboarding will feature at the Olympics for only the second time since the start of the modern games.

According to the Olympic website skateboarding first developed in the USA during the 1950s, growing in popularity during the 1980s as part of the underground, alternative culture of the era. Since then, the sport has become synonymous with urban youth culture across the world, with its global popularity leading to its inclusion at Tokyo 2020 and now Paris 2024.

Its popularity with young people can be seen at the highest level, with Briton Sky Brown securing the bronze medal in the women’s park event in Tokyo at just 13 years old. Not only was Sky’s medal a huge personal achievement, but it inspired a new generation of skaters and raised awareness of the sport across the UK more broadly.

The rules

In the Olympics, Skateboarding is split into two styles: “street” and “park”. While street skateboarding is designed to resemble urban environments, park is a more varied course designed to allow athletes to gather speed for performing tricks mid-air.

Athletes competing in park events perform three 45-second runs, with the best of the three being their final score. They are judged based on the height and speed of their tricks and how much of the course/obstacles they cover throughout their routine.

The Skateboarding events begin on Saturday, July 27 with the Men’s Street prelims beginning in the morning, and the final later in the afternoon. The Women’s event will take place the following day on Sunday July 28^th and follow the same schedule as the Men’s.

The Park events will start later in the games, with Women’s Park prelims and finals kicking off on the 6^th of August in the morning. The Men’s event will follow the next day (August 7^th), following the same schedule.

Why is Skateboarding so special?

Skateboarding is well known as a recreational pursuit across the world, but there is much less understanding and awareness of the sport at elite level. When we asked SRA members Skateboard GB what made the sport so special they told us:

“Skateboarding is incredibly unique as it blurs the lines between culture and sport.

The activity of skateboarding is totally self-driven and so creative, that everyone can utilise a landscape to decide how they wish to skate it.

But above all the community within skateboarding is something else, the support that the people provide and the friendships which are gained are the main reason why so many people like skateboarding.”

The Future of Skateboarding

Since skateboarding made its premiere at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the awareness of the activity in the media has helped to shine a light on what skateboarding is all about and Skateboard GB have seen increased participation since the sport debuted in Tokyo.

With the Skateboarding already confirmed as being part of the LA 2028 Olympic Games, competitive skateboarding is set to continue to grow. However, the team as Skateboard GB emphasised that this does not just benefit the sport at elite level, but that is great for all skateboarding, as being part of the Olympic games ensures that there is a public presence to maintain the credibility of skating for years to come.

You can find out more about Olympic Skateboarding and when to watch it here.

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