Tony Hawk: Skateboarding gives Olympics 'cool factor'

Cape Town - Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk has praised the decision to include the sport at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

It is the first time ever that skateboarding will be contested at the Olympics. 

Now 50-years-old, Hawk is considered one of the greatest skateboarders of all time and he is known as the first man to ever perform a documented 900 degree aerial spin. 

In an exclusive interview with Laureus Sport, who he works with as an Academy Member on a number of projects, Hawk opened up on the decision.

"I think it’s about time that the Olympics recognised skateboarding as a legitimate sport," he said.

"I think that skateboarding is more popular than a lot of the sports that are in the Summer Games and I think it will give a really good youthful vibe to the Games again.

"It seems like the Winter Games have caught up to the youth movement, especially with snowboarding and so the Summer Games will have skateboarding in the same light.

"I’ve said it before but I feel like skateboarding didn’t need the validation of the Olympics, but the Olympics needed their ‘cool factor’ more."

That @tonyhawk scream after the @Lizziearmanto loop is everything! ??

We caught up with the skateboarding legend as he skated through the iconic Central Park in NYC! ?? pic.twitter.com/oW3WGXvgiB

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) September 26, 2018