Skateboarding at the Summer Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Skateboarding at the Summer Olympics |
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Skateboarding is a super cool sport where people ride on a board with wheels. It made its first appearance at the Olympic Games in 2021. This big event happened in Tokyo, Japan. Skateboarding is also planned to be part of the next Olympic Games in Paris!
The organization that helps manage Olympic skateboarding is called World Skate. They make sure everything runs smoothly for the sport at the Olympics.
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Skateboarding Joins the Olympics
Have you ever wondered how a sport gets into the Olympics? For skateboarding, it was a big journey!
In September 2015, skateboarding was one of several sports considered for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Other sports like baseball, softball, karate, surfing, and sport climbing were also on the list.
Then, in June 2016, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided they liked the idea of adding these sports. Finally, on August 3, 2016, it was official! Skateboarding, along with the other four sports, was approved for the 2020 Olympic Games.
One challenge for skateboarding joining the Olympics was about safety. Skateboarding can sometimes lead to injuries, and the IOC wanted to make sure they were ready for this. Also, some people in the skateboarding community felt that the Olympics were too "mainstream" for their sport. Because of this, skateboarding groups didn't push super hard to get the sport into the Games at first. But in the end, it made it!
Olympic Skateboarding Events
At the Olympics, skateboarders compete in different types of events.
2020 Olympic Events
In the 2020 Summer Olympics (which happened in 2021), there were two main types of skateboarding events:
- Park Skateboarding: This event takes place in a special course with bowls and curves that look like a swimming pool. Skaters ride fast, doing tricks high in the air and along the edges.
- Street Skateboarding: This event uses a course designed to look like a city street. It has stairs, rails, benches, and ledges. Skaters perform tricks on these obstacles, just like they would in a real street environment.
Olympic Medal Winners
Here are the amazing skateboarders who won medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics:
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's park |
Keegan Palmer Australia |
Pedro Barros Brazil |
Cory Juneau United States |
| Women's park |
Sakura Yosozumi Japan |
Kokona Hiraki Japan |
Sky Brown Great Britain |
| Men's street |
Yuto Horigome Japan |
Kelvin Hoefler Brazil |
Jagger Eaton United States |
| Women's street |
Momiji Nishiya Japan |
Rayssa Leal Brazil |
Funa Nakayama Japan |
Medal Count by Country
Here's a look at which countries won the most medals in skateboarding at the 2020 Summer Olympics:
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Japan (JPN) |
3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 |  Australia (AUS) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Brazil (BRA) |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 |  United States (USA) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 |  Great Britain (GBR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (5 entries) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 | |
See also
In Spanish: Skateboarding en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
