Skateboarding has changed a lot, both progress and setbacks, since surfers hit the California pavements; since Rodney Mullen made his first ollie on flat ground; and since the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, the days of millions of children around the world have been enlivened.
Today, thanks to the internet and social media, he is present in short clips that leave those outside the scene momentarily stunned. From a cultural standpoint, he makes people feel like his style has improved by a few percent when he wears Thrasher and Supreme t-shirts.
Most recently, skateboarding alongside surfing, karate, 3v3 basketball, freestyle BMX, and sport climbing will make their debut at the biggest sports parade on earth, the 2020 Olympics, held in Tokyo, Japan. The skaters who were intrinsically rebellious are now some of the olympians.
Four categories will be contested in this new sport: women's park, women's street, men's park, and men's street. A total of 80 athletes (each category followed by 20 athletes) from 22 countries participated.
The organizers divide the skater's share equally across the continents. Without it, it is very possible that the majority of the classes being competed will be filled with skaters from three leading countries: Japan, the United States, and Brazil.
