By JOHN LEICESTER
Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) â Although the name Marty McFly won t be on the start list for the first Olympic skateboarding competition, the âBack to the Futureâ character who inspired the immortal lines âWhat s that thing he s on? It s a board, with wheels!â was a landmark personality for the sport in its groundbreaking journey to the Tokyo Games.
The Olympic debut in Tokyo of BMX freestyle also owes a debt to Hollywood, because it was Steven Spielberg s movie âE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial that showcased the acrobatic sport s wow factor to mainstream audiences.
So Tinseltown, take an Olympic bow. Skateboarding starts Sunday with the men s street competition. The men and women s medal events in BMX freestyle are on the second Sunday, Aug. 1. Back when the movie blockbusters hit screens in the 1980s, McFly would have needed a time-traveling DeLorean to foresee that these counterculture activities would be welcomed into the
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