World Skate Works to Grow Skateboarding Fanbase

(ATR) World Skate is ramping up its social media engagement in a bid to attract new fans in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics.

The federation’s website has been given a makeover to make it more user-friendly and for ease of use on all mobile devices.

It is fully integrated with World Skate’s social media and video channels as well as national federation platforms.

The revamp that is part of World Skate’s rebranding process was kickstarted at its congress in September 2017.

The website will showcase more detailed information about each discipline including the new Olympic sport of skateboarding.

"Along with an improved user experience, we’ve reimagined the site to engage our audience and members through storytelling and media. By featuring the athletes and competitions in all five continental regions, worldskate.org will continue to add to the rich history of skateboarding and roller sports every day," the federation said in a statement.

Also launched is a skateboarding-focused social media channel on Twitter – @WorldSkateSB.

The federation said its social content will capitalize on the various platform strengths of Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube "to connect with skateboarding fans all over the world and tell the story of skateboarding as a sport, art, lifestyle, and culture as it rolls down the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games".

World Skate president Sabatino Aracu said the website facelift and new-look social media channels were "another important step, a more structured communication path that will grow and lead the World Skate audience to Tokyo 2020 by reaching them where they live, on their phones."

"Our objective is to engage our public more and more, and we are aware that social media platforms and mobile devices are the tools we need to focus on right now," he added.

Skateboarding is one of five new sports at the Tokyo Games along with sports climbing, karate and surfing, while baseball-softball is returning to the Olympics.

The new sports will result in 474 athletes competing in 18 extra events at Tokyo 2020.

Skateboarding will be staged at the Olympic BMX course, which will be built in the northern part of Tokyo's Ariake district, an iconic waterfront area of the Japanese capital.

Ahead of its Olympic debut, skateboarding is set to gain an army of new international fans when it is staged at the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games in San Diego; it is one of 15 sports on the program.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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