More than 5,500 people identifying themselves as skateboarders from around the world "have signed an online petition" asking the IOC not to add their sport to the Games, according to David Wharton of the L.A. TIMES. Last month, organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics "included skateboarding on a list of six sports they want to put on the program." The online petition states, "Skateboarding is not a 'sport' and we do not want skateboarding exploited and transformed to fit into the Olympic program. We feel that Olympic involvement will change the face of skateboarding and its individuality and freedoms forever." Under the proposal -- which must be approved by the IOC -- skateboarders would compete in "street and park events." Int'l Skateboarding Federation President Gary Ream said that he understood the concerns within his sport because skateboarding "is not all about competition; it's also a lifestyle." But he "expressed confidence about creating a balance." Ream: "We're not going to satisfy everybody, but we're going to come close" (L.A. TIMES, 10/12).
