Tokyo 2020 Skateboarding Commission Established to Guide Authentic, World-Class Skateboarding EventsCompetitions
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — The Fédération Internationale Roller Sports (FIRS) is proud to announce the addition of Skateboarding into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. At a press conference today in Rio de Janeiro, the IOC named Skateboarding as one of five sports that will be part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Programme as additional events.
The Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 proposed the added sports in response to the flexibility provided by Olympic Agenda 2020. Olympic Agenda 2020 is the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement. Skateboarding’s vast youth appeal, accessibility and legacy plan make it a perfect fit for the Tokyo 2020 Vision’s Connecting to Tomorrow initiative. Tokyo 2020’s vision of a youth-focused and inspiring Games.
“This is a very important achievement that makes us really proud”, said Sabatino Aracu, FIRS President “It comes at the end of a very long selection process that, since the invite from the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee in February 2015, has seen our International Federation working closely with the IOC. It is also a starting point of the work we will have to carry out in the next years to make sure that the presence of Skateboarding in the Olympic Games in Tokyo meets the highest expectations. As IOC President Thomas Bach has rightly reminded everyone also during these past days, sports shall engage young people and not wait for young people to come to them. In this respect, our Movement has a lot to offer: our disciplines are born in the streets, and it is in the streets that young people experience them. We are sure that we are going to be able to inject new life into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games."
The roadmap for Tokyo 2020 calls for the establishment of a special Commission, the Tokyo 2020 Skateboarding Commission in a collaboration between the Fédération Internationale Roller Sports (FIRS) and the International Skateboarding Federation (ISF), to ensure skateboarding competitions will be delivered at the highest level at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Commission is in charge of all aspects of producing the Skateboard Street and Park Terrain events at the Games.
“I’ve always believed that if skateboarding was properly protected and supported, its appearance on the Olympic stage could change the world,” said Gary Ream, chairman, Tokyo 2020 Skateboarding Commission and president, ISF. “We’re excited to have that opportunity in Tokyo thanks to the IOC’s Agenda 2020 and the creation of the Tokyo 2020 Skateboarding Commission.”
Professional skateboarder and Tokyo 2020 Skateboarding Commission Athlete Representative, Neal Hendrix, said: "It is really important to me that skateboarding culture is fairly represented and protected on this global stage, and I hope skateboarders worldwide will be proud of the show that the best male and female skateboarders in the world are going to put on in Tokyo in 2020."