Skateboarding competitions return to the Paris Olympics

This is the second year skateboarding is being held in the Olympics with 88 skateboarders competing.

Over at the San Luis Obispo Skatepark, there are some who are excited about skateboarding making its way back to the Olympics.

“Now that it's in the Olympics I think it's amazing,” Anderson Loo, a visitor from out of the country, said.

“Skateboarding in the Olympics is such an achievement,” said Quarron Reed, a San Luis Obispo resident.

Reed has been skateboarding for more than ten years and says he skates to feel connected with himself.

“It's a fulfilling thing to do for me," said Reed. "It helps me clear my mind and work through certain problems."

Four years ago, skateboarding was first introduced to the Olympics at the Tokyo Games in 2020.

Now, in 2024, 44 women and 44 men are competing, and local skaters are thrilled.

“I think it's nice skateboarding gets respect now,” Jonathan Gou, a visitor from Brentwood, California said.

“It gives us more hope and a brighter future for skateboarding,” Reed said.

At the Olympic games, there are two categories for the skateboarding competitions, which are held on the street and in the park.

Those competing in the street will perform tricks and get two 45-second runs and perform five tricks. The final score is the combined points from the best run and the best two tricks.

For the competition in the park, skaters will do tricks in a hollow concrete bowl where they get 45-second runs and the top eight go to the final round.

“It takes a lot of skill to do what they do out there on their boards," said Reed. "It doesn't always come naturally to everyone but just like any sport you have to work hard and practice and if you have the right work ethic you can go pretty far with something like that."

The women's street skateboarding competition is scheduled for Sunday. The men's competition will be on Monday. The men's competition was scheduled to be on Saturday, but was postponed because of the rain.