- Title: Freestyle trailblazer talks career, artwork and Olympics
- Date: 27th May 2021
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (RECENT) (REUTERS VIA ZOOM) (SOUNDBITE) (English) FREESTYLE SOCCER PLAYER AGUSKA MNICH SAYING ON WHETHER FREESTYLE SHOULD BECOME AN OLYMPIC SPORT: "I think this is my dream to still see that. I will give like 10 years or seven years to just develop more and more. Because freestyle really, it's like 10 years. So it's growing all the time, every single year you still see a lot of new freestylers. So I would say that because of this freestylers have like a big opportunity to be part of Olympics. But as well it's not because of it just sport, it's as well an art. And it's... like for example you are using your head and you are using your positional seating, playing and acrobatic and all of those things. So it's not just one kicking up the ball, but it's like full of different ways of using your body with the ball. So I would say like it's supposed to be one of the Olympic sports."
- Embargoed: 10th June 2021 10:25
- Keywords: Aguska Mnich Olympics freestyle soccer
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Europe
- Reuters ID: LVA00AEEQKKSF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Freestyle soccer star Aguska Mnich says her sport can be compared to street art - but that shouldn't stop it becoming part of the Olympics.
The Pole is hoping to regain her Red Bull Street Style title as this year's competition gets under way.
The tournament pits the best freestylers in the world against each other, and culminates in a grand final in Valencia, Spain in November.
Mnich won the title in 2018 and 2019, and was also European Champion in 2017 and 2019.
To launch this year's event, which has a series of qualifying rounds, Mnich teamed up with London-based street artist Captain Kris to create a grafitti-style artwork.
But Mnich is hoping for a bigger stage to showcase her talents on, and insists freestyle soccer should be considered for an Olympic slot.
The IOC is embracing 'urban' sports to try and capture the imagination of a younger generation, with 3x3 basketball and break dancing among new competitions for Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
(Production: Iain Axon) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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