Roller Sports Boss Thrilled About Olympic Leap for Skateboarding

(ATR) International Roller Sports Federation president Sabatino Aracu said the recommendation to include skateboarding at the 2020 Olympics is a momentous decision for both his sport and Tokyo organizers.

"Tokyo 2020 has been very brave on making this decision in a country where skates and skateboarding are still forbidden in most of the city’s roads," Aracu told Around the Rings.

"I guess the five-year plan we presented to develop roller sports has been understood and properly evaluated, and now it is FIRS' turn to dig deeper into it and put it into practice."

"I think we managed to do something important and we are all are aware that this is just the beginning, more energy and sleepless nights are waiting for us," Aracu said.

Skateboarding, along with baseball/softball, karate, sport climbing and surfing, were put forward by Tokyo 2020 organizers on Monday (September 28) representing "both traditional and emerging, youth-focused events."

Although it remains to be determined which of three skateboarding federations will be officially recognized by the IOC should the youth-oriented sport receive final approval for 2020, Aracu advised that FIRS is not a monopoly and is willing to cooperate with additional event organizers as necessary.

"Since the YOG in Nanjing, FIRS together with the IOC are working on finding the best solution possible to guarantee a flawless presentation of the sport and the participation of the best athletes," Aracu said.

"The FIRS is not a monopoly. Its doors are open to anyone who can bring something to the movement, so we are looking forward to the future discussions about this," he said.

FIRS was the federation chosen to present to the additional sports program panel for Tokyo 2020 on August 7 to make the sport’s case for inclusion in the Games. However, the World Skateboarding Federation (WSF) and International Skateboarding Federation (ISF) are also under consideration to guide the sport towards 2020, a decision to be taken at a later date.

"The bodies that everybody is referring to as 'federations' are actually great, high-level organizers of skateboarding events, as there are many in the world," Aracu said.

"Skateboarding needs a strong cohesion of the main stakeholders in the market because compared to other events that Tokyo 2020 has chosen, the boundaries in which it moves are less fixed than the other sports."

Street and park are the proposed skateboard events by the Tokyo 2020 additional event program panel. Men and women will attempt to throw their biggest tricks in both disciplines with a total quota of 80 athletes competing in four events with an equal gender split. Inline speed skating and slopestyle were rejected disciplines.

The creative action sport is entirely in line with the IOC’s desire to cater to youth and potentially skew an aging demographic of Olympic enthusiasts.

"The proposal FIRS made to Tokyo was very flexible, and the members of the panel appreciated this approach," Aracu said. "Our mantra during these months was to bring a fresh and new approach to youth, media and sponsors as well as to make the life of the organizing committee as easy as possible."

FIRS is headquartered in Rome and is the governing body for roller sport disciplines including skateboarding, speed skating, inline hockey and artistic roller skating. FIRS consists of nearly 100 national federations and is the oldest of the three organizations, established in 1924.

Regarding Tokyo 2020’s recommendations to the IOC to introduce 18 new events in five sports for the program, Aracu said: "We need to remember that Tokyo 2020 is doing something that no one ever did in the past. They are changing the Olympic program, and I am sure this puts enough pressure on them.

"FIRS is ready to be beside them to help them make history."

A final decision on the number and makeup of new sports and events for the 2020 Olympics will be made at the IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro, in August of 2016.

Written by Brian Pinelli

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