- Title: Skateboarding doesn't need Olympic validation, legend Tony Hawk says
- Date: 10th August 2019
- Summary: CHELLES, FRANCE (AUGUST 10, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SKATEBOARDER PERFORMING DURING VANS PARK SERIES COMPETITION FINAL NEAR PARIS AUDIENCE WATCHING VARIOUS OF FEMALE SKATEBOARDER PERFORMING AUDIENCE SKATEBOARDER PERFORMING AUDIENCE APPLAUDING VANS PARK SERIES POSTER RENOWNED SKATEBOARDER, TONY HAWK, DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) RENOWNED SKATEBOARDER, TONY HAWK, SAYING: "If we would have been on the radar of the Olympics back then, I would have thought it's a cool thing that we got some recognition. Through the years, I came to love that it was something different and that it did set us apart. And so through my more prominent and professional years, I wouldn't have cared if it's in the Olympics, because we already have our own scene, and skateboarding was far more fun and popular than most Olympic sports. So, it wasn't like we needed that validation. So at this point, I feel like they need our cool factor more than we need their validation, and it's about time. I mean, skateboarding has been there for a while now." HAWK SPEAKING DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) RENOWNED SKATEBOARDER, TONY HAWK, SAYING: "The Olympics are not going to reinvent the wheel of competition. We have had competitions since I started skating over 40 years ago. My first introduction to skating was through competitions. So for people to think that somehow, this is creating competition around what we do is not the case at all. That's what we're doing here in Paris with the Vans Park Series." VARIOUS OF FEMALE SKATERS PERFORMING AUDIENCE WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (English) RENOWNED SKATEBOARDER, TONY HAWK, SAYING: "I guess my only concern of skateboarding on the Olympic platform is that somehow, that will inspire people to skate only for fame or fortune. And that's unfortunate because I feel like skateboarding has so much more to offer young people in terms of self-confidence, in terms of identity, in terms of setting their own challenges, and that is not competitive based." VARIOUS OF MALE SKATERS PERFORMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) RENOWNED SKATEBOARDER, TONY HAWK, SAYING: "Skateboarding will be well represented regardless of the context. And so this particular venue -- the Olympics -- I think it will show a sort of raw side of sports in a much more edgy, artsy, creative way of doing things. I mean, there are very few sports that are subjective to style and to scoring in that way, so skateboarding will be one of the few. And I think that kids watching at home who may have never seen it will be inspired to try it because it is so unique and interesting." VARIOUS OF COMPETITION IN PROGRESS AUDIENCE APPLAUDING
- Embargoed: 24th August 2019 16:35
- Keywords: Olympic Games 2020 Olympics Tony Hawk skateboarding sports Paris 2024 Tokyo 2020
- Location: CHELLES, FRANCE
- City: CHELLES, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Olympics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001ARMXGLB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: As the final of the Vans Park Series competition wrapped up in a small suburb east of Paris, Tony Hawk insisted skateboarding does not need validation from the Olympic Games, adding that its inclusion into the international sports meet could change skaters' mindset for the worse.
A renowned skater, winner of more than 70 contests and namesake for the successful "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" video game series, Hawk emphasised that skateboarding would retain its unique culture despite the increase in international attention.
"Through my more prominent and professional years, I wouldn't have cared if it was in the Olympics because we already had our own scene, and skateboarding was far more fun and popular than most Olympic sports," Hawk told Reuters. "At this point, I feel like they need our cool factor more than we need their validation."
The International Olympic Committee unanimously supported bringing skateboarding to the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, but that does not promise future appearances of the sport.
Looking forward to the 2024 games set to take place in Paris, the same committee gave skateboarding a provisional green-light alongside surfing, climbing and breakdancing. The decision will be made final in late 2020, after the Tokyo games conclude.
Hawk said skateboarding's draw should revolve around its uniqueness as a sport, not its popularity or lucrativeness.
"My only concern of skateboarding on the Olympic platform is that somehow that will inspire people to skate only for fame or fortune," he said.
Hawk, who turned pro in 1982 at the age of 14, did not enjoy the same level of acceptance when it came to skating, but the counterculture aspect of the sport just pushed him further, he said.
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