The Most Exciting Olympics Yet
Three Extreme Sports Make Their Debut at the 2021 Summer Olympics
Photo: Courtesy of Unsplash
The 2021 Olympic games in Tokyo (still referred to as “Tokyo 2020” or “2020 Summer Olympics”) are upon us. Despite being postponed a year due to the COVID pandemic and the fact there are no spectators, this will undoubtedly be one of the most unforgettable Olympics for another reason. This year, there are 3 extreme sports making their Olympics debut - skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing!
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Skateboarding
This year skateboarding has made its debut at the summer games with two competitions, Skateboard Park and Skateboard Street. One of the most exciting things about the addition of skateboarding is that this sport features some of the youngest athletes to ever compete in the Olympics. Sky Brown of Great Britain is barely 13 years old, and her British teammate Bombette Martin is only 14!
My son scaring me at the local skate park. I was trying to find an older shot with him upside down doing 360s to remind myself of all those childhood ER visits. LOL.
The competition also features Nyjah Huston, the most famous street skater on the planet, after Tony Hawk, and the highest paid skater in the world. I cannot wait to see what these kids can do over the coming weeks as they will undoubtedly perform some of the most insane tricks and maneuvers over concrete that the world has ever seen.
Surfing
Surfers have long been advocating for the inclusion of surfing at the Olympic games. This last weekend, they finally got their wish as the games kicked off. 20 men and 20 women are competing for gold at Shidashita Beach, a beautiful black-sand beach near Tokyo. It’s interesting that the Olympic Committee chose a real beach where competitors are at Mother Nature’s mercy when it comes to producing good waves instead of opting for the use of artificial waves. Whatever the conditions might be, it is sure to be an exciting show!
Sport climbing
Photo: Courtesy of Unsplash
How exciting to finally see rock climbers get the attention they deserve by adding sport climbing to the Olympic games. The events are taking place at Tokyo’s Aomi Urban Sports Park where 20 men and 20 women will compete in 3 events - speed climbing, bouldering and lead climbing.
Each athlete must participate in all 3 disciplines which has been quite controversial because many of the participants are experts in one particular field but not all three. This will definitely spice things up and make it much more difficult to predict the outcome.
Even those who may not be fans of these three sports have to admit, this is guaranteed to be one of the most exciting Olympics yet!
