Even as Japanese skateboarders achieve Olympic glory, skateboarding is still viewed as an unacceptable nuisance on Tokyo’s streets and parks.
If you have been following the Olympics taking place in Tokyo this summer, you may have noticed that skateboarding is one of the sports newly included in the games. You may also have learned that Japan dominated, with the host country's skateboarders capturing three of the four available gold medals in the sport. However, their success is not a reflection of a national love of the sport nor an abundance of facilities for skateboarding.
As Hanako Lowry reports in this L.A. Times article, skateboarding is essentially banned in public areas in Tokyo, including streets and most parks. There are dedicated skate parks, but those are often monitored and inspected by police for suspicious activities. Thus it is not surprising that Japan’s Olympic medalists, three of whom are teenagers and one only 12 years old, have used their moment in the spotlight to plead for more space to practice.
“I hope we’ll see many more parks to practice in Japan,” 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya said after winning the gold medal in women’s street skateboarding. “We’d like to have good trainings and more often.”
FULL STORY: Japan dominated in Olympic skateboarding. Will it bring acceptance on Tokyo’s streets?
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