Canadian skateboarders gear up for first ever Olympics

Canada’s pro-skaters are gearing up for their first ever Olympics in Japan next summer.

Skateboarding, surfing and climbing will make their Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 where they will be subject to a "programme of monitoring".

Canadian pro-skater and Olympic hopeful Annie Guglia from Montreal hopes that the sports acceptance by the mainstream will boost numbers joining the sport.

“I really think it’s (the Olympics) positive for skateboarding, for the Canadian skateboarding community, for the world skateboard community, for girls in skateboarding, too, because it’s going to be showcased just the same as the men’s,” Guglia told CTV’s Your Morning.

Olympic skateboarders will compete in two disciplines, “park” and “street.”

Canada has seven men and four women competing professionally in both disciplines, Guglia said.

Park features skaters dropping into large ramps or bowls and performing aerial tricks while trying to get as much height as possible.

Street skaters perform tricks on handrails, staircases and small concrete structures. Guglia is the current Canadian womens street champion.

To qualify for the Olympics, competitors take part in a tournament series put on by international governing body World Skate.

Guglia is on the board of directors for Canada Skateboard, which formed in 2016 as the national sport federation for skateboarding in Canada.

“We have a national event series that’s happening in Canada this year, for the first time it’s like a new pathway to becoming an Olympic athlete,” Guglia told CTV’s Your Morning.

“We’re one of the top nations in the world, we can be really proud of what we’re doing with Canada Skateboard.”