Olympics-Skateboarding-First day of skateboarding competition postponed amid bad weather

By Amy Tennery

PARIS (Reuters) -The men's street skateboarding competition at the Paris Olympics was postponed on Saturday, organisers said in a statement, as rain poured down on the outdoor urban park venue.

The day's competition has been rescheduled to July 29.

A media centre representative said the skaters were unable to compete because the surface of the street course was too slick due to persistent rain early on Saturday, making conditions unsafe.

La Concorde, a sprawling outdoor venue where thousands are expected to for the breaking, skateboarding, BMX freestyle and 3x3 basketball events, sat quiet on Saturday with empty stands.

Workers walked through the waterlogged grounds and the street skate course sat slick was water as rain pooled into empty seats.

It was a far cry from the lively "urban park" environment organisers had hoped to unveil the morning after a soaking wet opening ceremony in which athletes and fans were drenched by rain.

(Reporting by Simon Jennings and Amy Tennery in Paris; Editing by Peter Rutherford)