How to qualify for skateboarding at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained

'Success' may be the best word to describe the first skateboarding competition at the Olympic Games.

The urban sport made its debut at Tokyo 2020 and the world won’t forget the memories of the fierce competition coupled with a true show of friendship and solidarity.

Japanese athletes won five medals including three golds in Tokyo, while Brazilians won three silvers. With Tokyo 2020 being a showcase of youthful talent and the level of competition continually rising, the next Olympic skateboarding competition is sure to be an unmissable event.

At Paris 2024, women’s and men’s park and street competitions are back on the programme. Find out everything you need to know about the pathway to qualification below.

How many athletes will compete in skateboarding at Paris 2024?

In total, 88 athletes will compete in the Paris 2024 skateboarding competition - 22 athletes per event for the men’s and women’s street, and men’s and women’s park events. This is eight more in total than in Tokyo.

As the host country, France will receive four quotas - one for men and one for women in each event - while the same amount will be set aside for Universality Places which will be decided by the Tripartite Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The other 80 quota places will be allocated based on competitions leading up to the Games, with a maximum of 12 quota places per National Olympic Committee (NOC) - three for men and three for women in each event.

What is the skateboarding qualification pathway to Paris 2024?

For the 80 athletes (20 per event) aiming to qualify for quota places for Paris 2024 (outside of the host nation and Universality Places), the following process will provide them the opportunity to book their tickets to the Games.

First, an athlete will need to be listed by name in the Olympic World Skateboarding Rankings (OWSR) as of 24 June 2024.

Several competitions will be taken into account in the OWSR and the five event tiers from which points are attributed are as follows:

• World Championship
• Olympic Qualifying Series
• Pro Tour
• ‘5-Star’ events
• ‘3-Star’ events

Unlike the Tokyo 2020 qualification pathway, Continental championships will now be ranked as '3-Star' events, and National Championships won't be included in the qualification strata.

The Rankings will culminate in the Olympic Qualifier Series, a newly launched three-event qualifier taking place between March and June 2024, where the last decisive points will be at stake.

The OWSR will be separated into three seasons, divided as follows:

• 2022: 22 June to 31 December
• 2023: 1 January to 31 December
• 2024: 1 January to 23 June

Unlike some other sports, athletes will be selected by name. Those names will be decided according to the OWSR as of 24 June 2024.

Each of the five continents of the Olympic Movement is guaranteed one athlete per event. If a continent doesn't qualify one athlete, the place will be allocated to the highest-ranked athlete on the OWSR from the continent representation, if available.

The following are the Paris 2024 qualifying events for 2022

• 26 June - 3 July 2022: Street Skateboarding Rome (Pro Tour) - Rome (ITA)

What is the Paris 2024 skateboarding competition format and schedule?

The skateboarding competition at Paris 2024 will take place over four days at La Concorde on 27 and 28 July for street events, and 6 and 7 August for park events.

World Skate has released the competition formats for the Paris 2024 Street event, as well as for all Qualifying events, which are as follows:

Competitions will be held in two phases: the qualification and the final, with the top eight in the first phase making it to the final.

In each phase, skateboarders will complete two runs of 45 seconds each, which will be scored between 0 and 100 with only the score of the best run counting. They then perform five tricks, also scored between 0 and 100, with the best two tricks counting towards the score. The total score is compiled by adding the scores of the best run and two tricks, making a final score between 0 and 300.

One important new rule that has been added is the Scoring Refusal Procedure of the trick phase. A skateboarder now has the right to have a trick scrubbed if they wish to attempt to improve it, without incurring any repetition penalty. Refused attempts count for zero points.

The Park format for Paris 2024 qualifiers has not yet been released.

Skateboarders to watch at Paris 2024

Park

The first Olympic champion in the women's park event was Yosozumi Sakura from Japan. Aged just 19 when she competed at Tokyo 2020, she should be one to watch at Paris 2024. Also, keep a close eye on silver medallist Hiraki Kokona - also from Japan - who was just 12 in Tokyo. Britain’s young star, Sky Brown, who won the bronze medal at age 13 after recovering from falls during her first two runs, will also have two years to improve as she chases gold in Paris. France’s Madeleine Larcheron was another young star who has time to progress. She was 15 in Tokyo and will be aiming for the podium at her home Games in Paris.

Australia’s Keegan Palmer dominated the final in the men's event, scoring 94.04 points on his first run to secure gold. He improved to 95.83 points on his final run, beating Brazil’s Pedro Baros who won silver with 86.14 points. The two will likely once again be among the favourites in Paris, along with the USA’s bronze medallist Cory Juneau and his compatriot Zion Wright.

No Japanese skateboarder qualified for the men’s park final, however while Hirano Ayumu failed to make the top eight in the semis, the 23-year-old won gold in the Beijing 2022 snowboard halfpipe event. As of today, he hasn’t decided whether he’ll attempt to qualify for Paris 2024. "I might do it if I suddenly feel motivated to do it", he said to Olympics.com.

Street

In the women's street event, Nishiya Momiji (JPN) won gold at age 13, finishing just ahead of Brazilian star Rayssa Leal, who was also 13 in Japan. Leal revealed her talents to the world when a video of her landing a heelflip in a tutu went viral after skateboarding legend Tony Hawk shared it. She will once again be aiming for gold at the next Olympics, while her compatriot Leticia Bufoni, who will be 31 by the time of the Games, may also compete.

In the men's event, Horigome Yuto from Japan was almost untouchable on his way to gold. Even Nyjah Huston, a six-time world champion, could not make it onto the podium in a fiercely competitive event. Those two skateboarders, who are currently considered to be the best in the world, will almost certainly be in Paris, along with Brazil’s Kelvin Hoefler, the silver medalist in Tokyo, and American Jagger Eaton, who won the bronze. French skateboarders will also be aiming to create history on home soil, with Vincent Milou (4th in Tokyo) and Aurelien Giraud (6th) representing two of their best chances of a medal.

Skateboarding qualification timeline for Paris 2024

• 22 June 2022 - 23 June 2024: Olympic period to earn OWSR points
• 26 June - 3 July 2022: Street Skateboarding Rome (Pro Tour) - Rome (ITA)
• 2 October - 9 October 2022: Rio World Skate Park World Championships 2022 - Rio De Janeiro (BRA)
• 9 October - 16 October: Rio World Skate Street World Championships 2022 - Rio De Janeiro (BRA)
• March - June 2024 (dates TBC) - Olympic Qualifier Series 
• 24 June 2024: Olympic World Skateboarding Rankings published & World Skate to inform NOCs/NF of their allocated quota places
• 29 June 2024: NOCs to confirm use of allocated quota places to World Skate
• 30 June 2024: World Skate will commence the reallocation of all unused quota places
• 7 July 2024: World Skate will complete the reallocation of all unused quota places
• TBD: The Tripartite Commission to confirm in writing the allocation of Universality places to the NOCs( where applicable)
• 8 July 2024: Paris 2024 Sport Entries deadline
• 26 July - 11 August 2024: Olympic Games Paris 2024

Find out more about the qualification system for other sports that will feature at Paris 2024.