Last friday, legendary skater Tony Hawk flew into London for the day to hang out and inspire kids in East London and we were invited (thanks to Ken Rae in SA) to interview him.
The Birdman was here to back the Laureus World Sports Academy which which combats gang violence and juvenile crime at the Fight for Peace community sports project in the East End of London, and had this to say say as he walked out of the ring after a sparring session with locals:
“I may not be a boxer, but I found the whole experience a knock-out. This is what Laureus is all about, supporting projects which use sport to gain the interest of young people from difficult backgrounds and keep them off the streets and out of trouble. Gang violence is a big problem in many parts of the US as well as in the East End and being able to spend time with the kids at Fight for Peace and talk to them about the problems they have faced in their life and why they have turned their backs on street violence was inspiring. I really believe a project like this could make a big impact in the US.”
Look out for our video interview with Tony Hawk in the next two weeks.