<figure id="attachment_3213146" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3213146" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3213146" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/e7a12903-us-skater-tony-hawk.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3213146" class="wp-caption-text">US skater Tony Hawk is widely considered the greatest &#8216;vert&#8217; skater of all time. (EPA Images pic)</figcaption></figure>
LOS ANGELES: Tony Hawk is pushing for vertical skateboarding to become an Olympic event and said he is making progress in getting the high-flying discipline accepted as an exhibition sport at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
&#8220;I am the bug in their ear at every turn, at every event,&#8221; Hawk said in an interview, adding that organizers are &#8220;making strides in possibly getting it as an exhibition sport at LA28.&#8221;
Greatest ever
The 57-year-old, who is widely considered the greatest &#8220;vert&#8221; skater of all time, said it is too late to be included as a medal sport in Los Angeles but expressed optimism that a strong showing could secure vert skating&#8217;s place in future Summer Games.
&#8220;If we show what we do to the Olympic audience, there&#8217;s a good chance they would want it for the next Games,&#8221; he said.
Vert skateboarding, which involves aerial tricks on vertical ramps like halfpipes, has been notably absent from the Olympics despite the sport&#8217;s inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Games. Only park and street disciplines have been featured.
&#8220;I do feel like it&#8217;s a missed opportunity for them because as exciting as park skating is, it&#8217;s not what vertical skateboarding is,&#8221; Hawk said.
&#8220;It&#8217;s high flying, it&#8217;s big spins, and it&#8217;s the kind of thing that people have gotten used to seeing on the X Games.&#8221;
Vert Ambassador 
Hawk said he offered his portable ramp to organizers for potential use and hopes to serve as &#8220;the vert ambassador&#8221; for the Los Angeles Games.
Skateboarding competition at LA 28 is scheduled to take place at Sepulveda Basin, a location Hawk said has historical significance in skating culture dating back to the 1980s.
Beyond his Olympic advocacy, Hawk has become a sought-after spokesman due to his ability to connect with multiple generations.
He is a spokesman for Cancer Guard and recently participated in a multi-cancer early-detection blood test, motivated by his father&#8217;s late-stage lung cancer diagnosis when Hawk was in his early 20s.
&#8220;I never imagined that I&#8217;d be an ambassador for anything, especially skateboarding,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;It feels like a fun side quest and if I can raise awareness to this type of screening, that&#8217;s all the better.&#8221;

MatchPoint Times

Tony Hawk lobbying for vertical exhibition at Los Angeles Olympics

The skateboarder said he is making progress in getting the high-flying discipline accepted as an exhibition sport at the 2028 Summer Olympics.

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