Skateboarding icon Tony Hawk is actively campaigning for vertical skateboarding to be included as an exhibition sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, revealing he is making significant headway in his efforts.
Hawk, widely regarded as the greatest “vert” skater of all time, confirmed he is “the bug in their ear at every turn, at every event”, adding that organisers are “making strides in possibly getting it as an exhibition sport at LA28.”
The 57-year-old acknowledged that it is too late for vert skating to be a medal sport in Los Angeles. However, he remains optimistic that a strong showing could pave the way for its inclusion in future Summer Games.
“If we show what we do to the Olympic audience, there’s a good chance they would want it for the next Games,” he stated.
Despite skateboarding’s presence at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Games, featuring park and street disciplines, vert skateboarding – known for its high-flying aerial tricks on halfpipes – has been conspicuously absent. Hawk believes this represents a missed opportunity.
“I do feel like it’s a missed opportunity for them because as exciting as park skating is, it’s not what vertical skateboarding is,” he explained. “It’s high flying, it’s big spins, and it’s the kind of thing that people have gotten used to seeing on the X Games.”
Hawk has even offered his portable ramp to organisers for potential use and hopes to serve as “the vert ambassador” for the Los Angeles Games.
The skateboarding competition at LA28 is slated for Sepulveda Basin, a location Hawk highlighted for its historical significance within skating culture, dating back to the 1980s.
Beyond his Olympic advocacy, Hawk has become a sought-after public figure, connecting with diverse generations.
He acts as a spokesman for Cancer Guard and recently participated in a multi-cancer early-detection blood test. This was motivated by his father’s late-stage lung cancer diagnosis when Hawk was in his early 20s.
“I never imagined that I’d be an ambassador for anything, especially skateboarding,” he reflected.
“It feels like a fun side quest and if I can raise awareness to this type of screening, that’s all the better.”
