as far as skateboarding is concerned, there will be two disciplines on display here in tokyo. both street and park. street is held on a course that looks like a street with hand rails, stairs, curbs, walls. the park competition is held in a hollowed-out course that looks like a bowl with steep sides. all competitions will be judged on things like speed, originality, and difficulty of tricks. alison, it will be a lot of fun to watch. skateboarding isn t the only sport making its olympic debut in tokyo. other newcomers include speed climbing, karate, and surfing. baseball and softball are making their return to the olympics after not being included since 2008. i happen to love the variety. i m all for it. cnn s blake essig in tokyo, thank you. some olympic sponsors are frustrated and worried about how their association with the tokyo games will impact its bottom line. not only do they risk losing a return on their investment, some
ideas too. we want to foster an environment where everyone is free to express their own style. reporter: the osaka daggers are not a team, but a culture, a pioneering group that was once considered nothing more than rebels and misfits, now represent the foundation of skateboarding here in japan. a foundation that daisuke hayakawa, coach of the olympic skateboard team, says will in a sense be on display when skateboarding debuts at the games in tokyo. translator: at the olympics, people will be able to see how skaters express their creativity and ideas through skateboarding. while skateboarding became an olympic sport, it s important to remember the culture around it. reporter: a culture that could become more widely accepted as the sport goes main street. translator: i think the future is bright for skateboarding. reporter: in osaka, while the olympics have already had a big influence on shifting perceptions around skateboarding, these skaters say
and china and the u.s. lead the overall medal count right now at eight. china has the most gold medals with four. skateboarding is making its olympic debut in tokyo. an olympian from japan just won the first-ever olympic gold medal in the sport after the men s street final on sunday. cnn s blake essig joins us once again this hour from tokyo to talk more about skateboarding at the olympics. great to see you again. reporter: yeah, alison, look, exciting times. skateboarding made its olympic debut today. as you mentioned, 22-year-old yuto horigami won the men s street final, in a huge moment not only for japan but in skateboarding. skateboarding is increasingly becoming mainstream. here in japan, not everyone is convinced that perceptions will shift so quickly.