Skateboarding Included in Olympics 2020 but Not Everyone is Thrilled

It’s official: Skateboarding is now part of the Olympics. But not all skaters are excited about the announcement. Find out why.

The announcement of the inclusion of skateboarding in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo has led to both cheers and jeers within the global skate community.

While the move to have skateboarding as part of the Olympics is seen as a historic step in bringing the world’s biggest sporting event to the younger crowd, not everyone is thrilled.

Close to 7,000 skaters have petitioned against its inclusion, citing reasons such as these:

“This is not a regular sport. Cannot be represented by a single person in a country.”

“Don’t take the one good thing us skaters truly enjoy. Freedom.”

“Not a sport. More of a lifestyle and a way to express yoursel [sic]. Should be more fun than worrying about competing.”

Perhaps as a way of retaining skateboarding’s heritage, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added that such events would be staged at temporary venues installed in urban settings.

“With the many options that young people have, we cannot expect any more that they will come automatically to us. We have to go to them,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in an official statement.

Skateboarding may be part of the 2020 Summer Olympics, but it is worth noting that its inclusion is not binding on future Olympic events. Whether it remains on the Olympics’ list of sports in the long run will really depend on its success at the 2020 games.

Was the IOC’s decision a right move? Drop us a note below with your opinion.