WASHINGTON — The world’s best skateboarders will compete once again at the Olympics, shining a spotlight on one of the modern events in the Summer Games lineup.
The competition will be going down at the famous Place de La Concorde right in the heart of Paris.
There will be two skateboarding disciplines for men and women seeking medals in Paris: street and park.
Street
Street skaters compete on a course that is meant to mimic what you would see on the street with things like stairs, curbs, walls, slopes and handrails.
In street events, each competitor gets two 45-second runs followed by five attempts to perform their best tricks. Their top two trick scores are combined with their best run to form a total score.
While the competition format has remained the same as last Summer Olympics, the scoring has been overhauled. This time around, each score will be between 0 and 100.
A skateboarder's best run out of the two they perform will go into their final score, along with each of their best two tricks. So that means a final overall score will be between 0 and 300.
Park
The park competition takes place on a course that resembles a bowl with several bends, which athletes use to gain speed and perform tricks mid-air.
In the park competition, skateboarders are judged by the height and speed of the tricks, plus their ability to use the entire course and all the obstacles.
They get three 45-second runs and the best one counts as their final score.
In both disciplines, athletes with the highest scores in the prelims move onto the final for a chance at a medal.
When is skateboarding at the Olympics?
The men's street competition is scheduled for Saturday, July 27: Prelims are scheduled for 6 a.m. Eastern, followed by the Street Final at 11 a.m. Eastern.
The women's street competition is scheduled for Sunday, July 28: Prelims are scheduled for 6 a.m. Eastern, followed by the Street Final at 11 a.m. Eastern.
The women's park competition is scheduled for Tuesday, August 6: Prelims are at 6:30 a.m. Eastern, followed by the Final at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
The men's park competition is scheduled for Wednesday, August 7: Prelims are at 6:30 a.m. Eastern, followed by the Final at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.