During Tony Hawk‘s visit to one of our projects in east London last week, we got a chance to talk with the skateboard legend about his hopes for the future of skateboarding. And, with the London Olympics just a year away, his sport’s participation was top on his list of things to talk about.
Tony said: “Skateboarding is gaining in popularity now more than ever… I think that the Olympics need skateboarding more than skateboarding needs the Olympics and I truly believe the Olympics want something to bring in younger viewers.”
This reminded us of a chat we had with Tony before the Laureus Awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi this year. He said: “It should be in the Games immediately. You see what snowboarding has done in the Winter Olympics. Skateboarding could do the exact same thing for the Summer Olympics.”
Should sandboarding be the summer Games' equivalent to snowboarding?
Should Skateboarding really be an Olympic sport?
What do you think of Tony’s thoughts? Do you agree? Thinking of what Tony said about the benefits of snowboarding to the winter Games, we would love to hear about what other urban sports you think should be included as well or maybe instead of skateboarding.
Perhaps you think there are some sports that shouldn’t be a part of the Games these days either????
Let us know your thoughts and be sure to follow us on Twitter here @LaureusSport to find out the pick of the best suggestions…
Last Friday, one of our Academy Members, the skateboard legend Tony Hawk, came to London to visit the fantastic Laureus-supported Fight for Peace boxing project in North Woolwich.
On the way, however, London being London, and Friday rush-hour being as bad as it so often is, Tony found himself stuck in such heavy traffic that he ran the risk of arriving too late to meet any of the excited kids at all.
True to character (and at this point being only as far as London City airport with no end to the traffic in sight) Tony jumped out of the car, grabbed his deck and made for the project in the way that he is most famous for: skateboarding!!
It was a great sight to see, and, on hearing that the one and only Tony Hawk was skating along the streets of east London, a bunch of the kids from the project raced to see if they could catch a glimpse.
Kids from London's East End watched in amazement as Tony made his way on his board
Once Tony had finally arrived, he was really keen to spend some time in the ring and to get a proper feel for what the training is like at Fight for Peace.
Whilst there, the world-famous skateboarder tried his hand at some exercises a little different from what he is used to. He tried some (gentle) sparring with some of the older participants, had a go at that most famous boxing warm-up, skipping (take a look above) and, going back into his comfort zone, took some time to show the crowd a few tricks on his board.
It was really great to have Tony visit the Fight for Peace project, if not only to see how excited the youngsters were about the event. North Woolwich in the East End of London is one of the most deprived areas of the city and it really was touching to see the kids, from the youngest of them to the oldest, so excited about the arrival of a superstar like Tony in their part of London.
The regeneration of east London thanks to the Olympic Games really shows what sport can do for communities. Nevertheless, projects like Fight for Peace, even if it is on slightly smaller scale than the 2012 Games, play an enormous role in giving inner-city youngsters a real opportunity to improve themselves and the lives of those around them.
Now on to the giant seagull…
To coincide with Tony’s visit to the Fight for Peace project, here at Laureus we thought we would organise our first City Treasure Hunt.
The Prize: a signed Tony Hawk skateboard…
The first Laureus City Treasure Hunt top prize
Taking inspiration from a similar treasure hunt Tony frequently organises in the States, we used twitter throughout the day to send picture clues out to our followers as to the wherabouts of the prize.
At first the clues were a bit tricky…
This is actually opposite the skateboard park on London's Southbank... we hope our board doesn't end up here...
By the end of the day the images were a bit more obvious…
In the end, it was a giant seagull that had our prize to give...
And as the sun set over the Thames, we arrived just in time to catch the lucky winners…
...and so the first Laureus Treasure Hunt comes to an end.
All in all it really was a great day. The kids were so excited to meet Tony, and the fun of our first treasure hunt has made certain we will have to do another one again soon. It won’t be a day we forget quickly.
Keep up to date with what we are up to (and any future treasure hunts) by following us on twitter @laureusSport
We launched a Facebook campaign, the first in our ten year history, entitled – GIVE THE GIFT OF SPORT on sportforgood.org
Backed by the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, who feature on the website, including Boris Becker, Sir Bobby Charlton, Marcel Desailly, Tony Hawk and Martina Navratilova, GIVE THE GIFT OF SPORT aims to get people actively involved in Sport for Good, by participating in events, sharing information and donating funds.
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation helped over 1 Million children over the last 10 Years
Tony Hawk visits Indigo Skate Camp
Laureus World Sports Academy Member skateboard legend Tony Hawk has presented a brand new portable Half-Pipe to the Indigo Youth Movement in Isithumba, a country village near Durban.
“I can’t believe what I am seeing here in this community. It is one of the most amazing skateboard sites I have ever been to. The experience of seeing these young people from disadvantaged backgrounds is something that will stay with me forever” (Tony Hawk)
On Saturday, Tony went to the official launch of the Laureus Sport for Good SA project partnership with Indigo Youth Movement in Isithumba, SA. Tony told us he was incredibly impressed with the Indigo Youth Movement on the outskirts of Durban where he visited a Zulu village whose centre piece is a skateboard ramp. He showed the local kids some of his legendary skills on the ramp and gave them a few tips we reckon they’ll never forget. We’re not sure how the man has so much energy but he skated, tweeted and chatted his way through the day and provided a huge amount of inspiration for the young South African skaters.
