Section 1: Introduction
1.1 Overview and Governing Body
Skateboarding made its Olympic debut at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021, marking a historic moment for action sports. The sport is governed internationally by World Skate (formerly the International Roller Sports Federation, FIRS), which administers the World Skate Skateboarding Competition Rules. World Skate was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the international federation responsible for skateboarding's inclusion in the Olympic programme.
1.2 Olympic Disciplines
Two disciplines are contested at the Olympic Games:
- Street: Athletes perform tricks on a course replicating urban architecture — staircases, handrails, ledges, curbs, benches, walls, slopes, and gaps. The discipline emphasizes technical precision, creativity in line selection, and the ability to link tricks on street-style obstacles.
- Park: Athletes ride a bowl-shaped course featuring curved transitions, pools, extensions, coping, and deep sections. The discipline emphasizes flow, aerial maneuvers, speed, and seamless transitions between features. Park skating draws from the heritage of pool, vert, and bowl riding.
1.3 History and Culture
Skateboarding originated in 1950s California when surfers sought to replicate the feeling of wave riding on pavement. It evolved through successive eras — sidewalk surfing, the Z-Boys and Dogtown pool riding revolution of the 1970s, the vertical halfpipe era of the 1980s, and the street skating explosion of the 1990s. The sport's counter-culture roots, emphasis on individual expression, and creative ethos distinguish it from traditional Olympic sports. World Skate competition rules seek to preserve skateboarding's authentic character while providing a fair and transparent competitive framework.
1.4 Competition Tiers
World Skate oversees a multi-tier competition circuit that feeds into Olympic qualification:
- Olympic Games: Highest level, 22 athletes per event (Street men/women, Park men/women)
- World Championships: Annual World Skate championships in both disciplines
- World Skate Pro Tour: Series of international events awarding Olympic ranking points
- Continental Championships: Regional qualifying events administered by continental federations
- National Championships: Domestic competitions governed by member national federations
Section 2: Equipment
2.1 The Skateboard
World Skate rules impose no specific restrictions on skateboard dimensions, component brands, or configurations. The board must be human-powered only — no motorized or mechanically assisted boards are permitted. Athletes choose setups based on personal preference and discipline:
- Street deck: Typically 7.75–8.25 inches (19.7–21.0 cm) wide. Narrower boards facilitate flip tricks and technical maneuvers. Concave depth and nose/tail kick angles vary by rider preference.
- Park deck: Typically 8.0–8.5 inches (20.3–21.6 cm) wide. Wider boards provide more stability for aerial tricks and high-speed transitions in bowls.
- Trucks: Axle width generally matches deck width. Truck height (low, mid, high) affects turning radius and wheel clearance. Bushings chosen for responsiveness.
- Wheels: Street: 50–54 mm diameter, 99–101a durometer (hardness). Park: 54–58 mm diameter, 99–101a durometer. Larger, softer wheels provide smoother transitions on rough surfaces.
- Bearings: Standard 608 size. No restrictions on bearing type, material, or ABEC rating.
- Grip tape: Applied to the top of the deck for traction. Standard silicon carbide grit. No restrictions on brand or pattern.
2.2 Protective Equipment
- Helmet (Park): Mandatory for all Park competitors. Must be a certified skateboarding helmet meeting CPSC, ASTM F1492, EN 1078, or equivalent safety standards. Multi-impact foam helmets (not single-impact cycling helmets) are required. Must fit securely with a fastened chin strap.
- Helmet (Street): Not mandatory under World Skate rules, though individual national federations may require helmets for all competitors. Strongly recommended.
- Knee pads: Mandatory for Park discipline. Must be hard-shell knee pads that allow the athlete to knee-slide safely on the course surface. Recommended for Street.
- Elbow pads: Mandatory for Park discipline. Hard-shell or soft-shell elbow pads accepted. Recommended for Street.
- Wrist guards: Optional for both disciplines, though not commonly worn in competition due to impact on board feel.
2.3 Attire and Accessories
- Athletes must wear the uniform of their national federation during Olympic competition
- Shoes must be closed-toe skate shoes — no sandals, slip-ons without heel counters, or barefoot riding
- No jewelry or accessories that may pose a safety hazard
- Headphones and audio devices prohibited during competition runs
- Competitor bib or number must be visible at all times
Section 3: Playing Area
3.1 Street Course Design
The Street course is a purpose-built environment that simulates urban architecture. Courses may be modular (assembled from prefabricated elements) or permanent concrete installations. Key specifications:
- Dimensions: Approximately 40 m × 25 m (131 ft × 82 ft) minimum competition area
- Obstacles (mandatory elements): Staircases (typically 4–10 steps), handrails (round and square profiles), ledges and manual pads, flat bars (round rails at low height), banks and quarter pipes, gaps, hubbas (angled ledges along stairs), and flat ground areas for flatground tricks
- Surface: Smooth concrete or equivalent. Surfaces must be consistent and free of cracks, moisture, or debris. Transition areas between obstacles must allow smooth skating lines.
- Obstacle variety: Courses must offer a range of difficulty levels and line possibilities. Both technical low-impact obstacles and larger high-impact features should be present to allow differentiation between skill levels.
- Flow: Course layout must allow multiple line options so athletes can demonstrate creativity in linking different obstacles
3.2 Park Course Design
The Park course is a continuous bowl/pool-based structure with varying depths, transitions, and coping profiles. Key specifications:
- Dimensions: Approximately 30 m × 25 m (98 ft × 82 ft) minimum competition area
- Depth: Varies from 1.5 m to 3.5 m (5 ft to 11.5 ft). Shallower sections provide speed generation; deeper sections allow higher aerials.
- Transitions: Smooth curved walls connecting the flat bottom to the deck. Radius varies by section. Tight transitions (small radius) provide quick acceleration; mellow transitions allow larger airs.
- Features: Coping (metal or stone lip at the top of transitions for grinds and lip tricks), hip transfers (angled meeting points between bowl sections), extensions (raised vertical sections above the coping), channels, spines (back-to-back transitions), love seats, and deck areas for roll-ins.
- Surface: Shotcrete, poured concrete, or equivalent smooth finish. Pool coping may be steel, stone, or concrete. Surface must be free of irregularities.
3.3 General Venue Requirements
- Course must be inspected and approved by the World Skate Technical Delegate before competition
- Practice sessions scheduled to allow athletes to learn the course
- Water, debris, and foreign objects must be removed immediately from the riding surface
- Adequate lighting for evening sessions (minimum 1500 lux at riding surface level)
- Wind barriers or indoor venues preferred for consistency, though outdoor events are permitted
- Medical and first-aid stations must be positioned within 30 seconds of any point on the course
- Warm-up area with flat ground and basic features must be provided for competitors
Section 4: Players & Officials
4.1 Competitors
Skateboarding is an individual sport. Olympic events feature 22 athletes per discipline (Street men, Street women, Park men, Park women — 88 athletes total). Athletes qualify through:
- Olympic World Skateboarding Rankings (OWSR): Points accumulated from World Skate Pro Tour events, World Championships, and Continental Championships over the qualification period
- Host nation quota: The host country is guaranteed at least one spot per event if no athletes qualify on ranking
- Universality places: IOC Tripartite Commission invitations to ensure global representation
- Maximum 3 athletes per country per event
4.2 Judging Panel
A panel of 5 judges scores each run or trick on a scale of 0.0 to 100.0. The judging process:
- The highest and lowest scores are dropped to reduce outlier influence
- The remaining 3 scores are averaged to produce the final score for that run or trick
- Judges are selected from the World Skate International Judges Panel and must hold valid certification
- Judges are positioned at elevated vantage points around the course to observe all areas
- A Head Judge coordinates the panel, ensures consistency, and resolves disputes
- Judges undergo calibration sessions before competition to align scoring standards
4.3 Other Officials
- Technical Delegate: World Skate representative who oversees all aspects of the competition, from course approval to judging standards
- Competition Director: Manages the event schedule, athlete registration, and logistical operations
- Starter: Signals the beginning of each run and monitors the clock
- Timekeepers: Track the 45-second run duration using official timing systems
- Video Review Team: Reviews footage when disputes arise about trick completion or falls
- Anti-Doping Officers: WADA-compliant testing may be conducted at Olympic and World Championship events
Section 5: Rules of Play
5.1 Street Format
The Street competition uses a two-phase format combining runs and single best-trick attempts:
- Runs (2 attempts): Each athlete performs two 45-second runs. During a run, the skater chooses their own line through the course, linking tricks on multiple obstacles. Runs are scored on overall impression (0.0–100.0) based on the totality of the performance.
- Best Trick (5 attempts): After all runs, each athlete receives 5 individual trick attempts. The athlete chooses one obstacle and performs a single trick per attempt. Each trick is scored independently (0.0–100.0).
- Final score: The best 4 of 7 scores count. This may be the best run + best 3 tricks, or any combination of 4 highest scores from the 7 total attempts.
- Qualification: A preliminary round reduces the field. The top 8 athletes advance to the final, where scores reset to zero.
5.2 Park Format
- Runs: Each athlete performs 3 runs of 45 seconds each
- Scoring: Only the best single run score counts as the athlete's final score
- Flow and continuity: Judges reward continuous flow through the course. Athletes should use multiple sections of the bowl and link tricks without excessive pushing or stopping.
- Aerial tricks: Height above the coping, rotation complexity, grab variety, and clean landings are critical scoring factors
- Qualification: A preliminary round reduces the field to the top 8 athletes for the final
5.3 Trick Categories
Tricks are categorized by type and contribute to scoring based on their difficulty:
- Flip tricks: Board rotations initiated by the feet (kickflips, heelflips, varial flips, tre flips, hardflips, laser flips, etc.)
- Grinds and slides: Riding along edges with trucks (grinds: 50-50, 5-0, smith, feeble, crooked, overcrook) or the deck (slides: boardslide, lipslide, tailslide, noseslide, bluntslide)
- Aerials and grabs: Getting airborne above coping or off ramps. Grab variations (melon, indy, stalefish, mute, method, madonna) add difficulty and style.
- Transition tricks: Lip tricks performed on the coping of bowls (rock to fakie, rock and roll, disaster, axle stall, blunt to fakie, smith stall)
- Rotations: Body and/or board rotations measured in degrees (180, 360, 540, 720, 900). Combinations with flip tricks increase difficulty exponentially.
5.4 Run Timing and Procedures
- Athletes are called to the start position and given a signal that the course is clear
- The 45-second clock starts when the athlete's skateboard makes contact with the course surface from the starting position
- A horn or buzzer signals the end of the 45-second period
- Any trick initiated before the buzzer is scored, even if it is completed after the buzzer sounds
- Athletes who fall may continue their run within the remaining time
- There is no penalty for falling, but falls impact the overall impression score and reduce time available for additional tricks
Section 6: Scoring
6.1 Overall Impression System
Skateboarding uses an overall impression scoring system rather than assigning fixed point values to individual tricks. Each judge assigns a single score from 0.0 to 100.0 based on the totality of the run or trick. This approach reflects skateboarding's emphasis on style, creativity, and personal expression rather than rigid gymnastics-style difficulty tables.
6.2 Judging Criteria
Judges evaluate the following criteria when assigning scores:
- Difficulty: Technical complexity of tricks attempted and landed. Multi-rotation, multi-flip combinations score higher than basic tricks. Rare or never-before-seen tricks earn significant difficulty credit.
- Execution: Clean landings (bolts caught, no hand-down, no wobble), proper form in the air, and controlled board manipulation. Barely landing or sketchy completions reduce execution scores.
- Composition (runs only): The variety and arrangement of tricks within the run. A well-composed run demonstrates range by including flip tricks, grinds, aerials, and transitions across different obstacles.
- Use of course: Athletes who utilize more of the course — skating multiple sections and obstacles rather than repeating the same feature — receive higher scores.
- Speed: Higher approach speed indicates commitment and increases trick difficulty. Speed through transitions in Park enhances aerial height.
- Style and originality: Personal expression, originality in trick selection, and individual flair. Judges reward athletes who bring unique interpretations rather than copying standard trick lists.
- Flow and continuity: Particularly in Park, smooth transitions between tricks without excessive pushing, stalling, or hesitation are rewarded.
6.3 Score Calculation
- Panel: 5 judges score each performance independently
- Trimming: The highest and lowest scores are discarded
- Averaging: The remaining 3 scores are averaged to two decimal places
- Street final score: Best 4 of 7 scores (2 runs + 5 tricks) summed
- Park final score: Best single run score of 3 attempts
6.4 Tiebreaking
- If athletes are tied on final score, the athlete with the single highest individual score (run or trick) ranks higher
- If still tied, the second-highest individual score is compared, continuing until the tie is broken
- If identical after all comparisons, the tie stands and both athletes receive the same ranking
Section 7: Violations & Penalties
7.1 Time Violations
- Exceeding run time: The run terminates when the 45-second buzzer sounds. Only tricks initiated before the buzzer are scored.
- Failure to start: If an athlete does not begin their run within the allotted start window (typically 30 seconds after being called), the attempt is forfeited and scored as 0.0.
7.2 Equipment Violations
- Equipment failure during a run: No restart is granted. The score is based on what was completed before the failure. Athletes may switch to a backup board between attempts.
- Missing mandatory protective equipment (Park): Athlete is not permitted to start. Must obtain compliant equipment before the next attempt.
- Unauthorized board modifications: Boards found to contain motorized, mechanical, or electronic performance aids result in disqualification.
7.3 Conduct Violations
- False start: Starting before the official signal requires the athlete to return to the starting position and restart. Repeated false starts may result in a time penalty or forfeiture of the attempt.
- Unauthorized course modifications: Applying wax, moving obstacles, or altering the course surface without authorization results in a warning for the first offense and disqualification for repeated offenses.
- Unsportsmanlike conduct: Verbal abuse, throwing equipment, intimidation of judges or other athletes, or deliberate obstruction results in a yellow card (warning), red card (score nullification for the current attempt), or disqualification.
- Substance violations: WADA anti-doping rules apply at Olympic and World Championship events. Positive tests result in disqualification and potential suspension.
7.4 Protests and Appeals
- Protests must be filed in writing within 15 minutes of the score being posted
- A protest fee (refundable if the protest is upheld) is required
- The Head Judge reviews video evidence and consults with the panel
- The Technical Delegate makes the final ruling on appeals
Section 8: Safety Considerations
8.1 Mandatory Protective Gear
- Park discipline: Certified helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads are mandatory for all practice sessions and competition runs. Athletes will not be permitted to drop in without full protective equipment.
- Street discipline: Helmet recommended but not mandatory at the international level. National federations may enforce stricter requirements for domestic competitions or age-group events (e.g., helmets mandatory for athletes under 18).
8.2 Course Safety
- The course must be inspected by the Technical Delegate and certified as safe before any practice or competition session
- All obstacles must be structurally sound with no sharp edges, protruding bolts, or loose elements
- Coping must be securely attached and free of chips or gaps
- Course surfaces must be swept and cleared of water, sand, pebbles, or debris before each session
- Drainage systems must prevent water accumulation on the riding surface
- Spectator barriers must be positioned at a safe distance from the competition area, particularly near landing zones
8.3 Medical Provisions
- A qualified medical team (including orthopedic capability) must be present on-site throughout practice and competition
- An ambulance must be on standby with direct access to the venue
- A designated medical room or tent with appropriate equipment for treating fractures, lacerations, and concussions
- Athletes who sustain a head impact must be evaluated for concussion before being permitted to continue. If concussion is suspected, the athlete is withdrawn from the event under return-to-play protocols.
- Heat management: in outdoor venues with temperatures exceeding 35°C (95°F), cooling stations, shade structures, and modified schedules with extended breaks must be provided
8.4 Athlete Welfare
- Athletes may withdraw from any attempt at any time without penalty (the attempt is scored as 0.0)
- Competition officials may suspend the event due to severe weather (lightning, high winds, extreme heat), unsafe course conditions, or lighting failure
- Practice sessions must be provided for athletes to familiarize themselves with the course before competition
- Warm-up areas separate from the competition course must be available at all times during the event
