Tokyo Olympics push skateboard counterculture into the mainstream
France24
25 Jul 2021, 16:08 GMT+10
With its entry onto the Olympic podium, skateboarding faces a test of its outlaw roots. Where some see a subculture selling out, others see a sport with much more room to grow.
Frontside, backside, ollie, shove-it: from its lingo to its conventions and history, skateboarding is both a sport and a whole subculture.
"It has an athletic side, of course, but it's also a way of life," Charlotte Hym, a member of the French skateboard team, tells France 24. "There are videos, music groups, art - there's really a lot of things connected with skateboarding."