It’s looking evermore likely that our beloved pastime will finally become an Olympic sport, as the International Olympic Committee said on Friday that talks had been held about introducing skateboarding in time for the 2012 Games in London.
With the IOC desperate to update the Olympics and attract those who otherwise would have no interest, BMX and snowboarding have already been adopted, but skateboarding is yet to be confirmed.
“The IOC wants to make the program relevant for young people,” IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said.
The IOC does not currently recognise an international skateboarding federation, so it would first be adopted under the umbrella of the cycling universal body, the UCI, who could then make a formal proposal for it to become an Olympic sport.
In an interview in the Evening Standard, UCI sports director Olivier Quejuiner said: “We are doing our best to introduce skateboarding for 2012.
We have a clear strategy. All we need now is the green light from the IOC. Technically, logistically, and in terms of cost, it would not be a problem to stage the event in 2012.”
There have been rumours that skateboarders who currently earn their living from skating will not be allowed to compete, so many of the names you are expect to see at an event like this might not be there. Either way, there is still one further problem that needs to be tackled before skateboarding is accepted as an Olympic sport. Are we really going to want to see Team Great Britain skating in Lycra uniforms? Maybe not.