LOS ANGELES ¨C Tony Hawk is pushing for vertical skateboarding to become an Olympic event and said he is making progress in getting the high-flying discipline accepted as an exhibition sport at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
¡°I am the bug in their ear at every turn, at every event,¡± Hawk said in an interview, adding that organizers are ¡°making strides in possibly getting it as an exhibition sport at LA28.¡±
The 57-year-old, who is widely considered the greatest ¡°vert¡± skater of all time, said it is too late to be included as a medal sport in Los Angeles but expressed optimism that a strong showing could secure vert skating¡¯s place in future Summer Games.
¡°If we show what we do to the Olympic audience, there¡¯s a good chance they would want it for the next Games,¡± he said.
Vert skateboarding, which involves aerial tricks on vertical ramps like halfpipes, has been notably absent from the Olympics despite the sport¡¯s inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Games. Only park and street disciplines have been featured.
¡°I do feel like it¡¯s a missed opportunity for them because as exciting as park skating is, it¡¯s not what vertical skateboarding is,¡± Hawk said.
¡°It¡¯s high flying, it¡¯s big spins, and it¡¯s the kind of thing that people have gotten used to seeing on the X Games.¡±
Vert ambassador
Hawk said he offered his portable ramp to organizers for potential use and hopes to serve as ¡°the vert ambassador¡± for the Los Angeles Games.
Skateboarding competition at LA 28 is scheduled to take place at Sepulveda Basin, a location Hawk said has historical significance in skating culture dating back to the 1980s.
Beyond his Olympic advocacy, Hawk has become a sought-after spokesman due to his ability to connect with multiple generations.
He is a spokesman for Cancerguard and recently participated in a multi-cancer early-detection blood test, motivated by his father¡¯s late-stage lung cancer diagnosis when Hawk was in his early 20s.
¡°I never imagined that I¡¯d be an ambassador for anything, especially skateboarding,¡± he said.
¡°It feels like a fun side quest and if I can raise awareness to this type of screening, that¡¯s all the better.¡±
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