Canada names 12 skaters for 1st national skateboard team
Skateboarding set to make Olympic debut at Tokyo Games
Canada Skateboard announced a group of twelve skaters to make up Canada's first national skateboard team on Thursday.
The group was selected based on them having competed in the Olympic Qualifying Tour in 2019-2020 and in accordance with Canada Skateboard's national team selection policy.
"It's a great honour to announce the first skateboarding team to officially represent Canada," Canada Skateboard President Benjamin Stoddard said in a press release. "This group of talented, young skaters share the unique privilege to skate as pioneers for their country.
Skateboarding is set to make its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games having two disciplines that athletes will compete within. Both disciplines will be comprised of two rounds — the preliminaries and finals. 20 skaters will compete in four heats of five skaters and the first eight from the combined ranking of the heats will progress to the finals.
Representing Canada in the park skateboarding discipline will be Faye De Fazio Ebert (Toronto), Adam Hopkins (Thunder Bay, Ont.), James Clarke (Vancouver, B.C.), and Andy Anderson (White Rock, B.C.).
"On behalf of the selected skaters, it is an honour to make it onto Canada's first ever national skateboard team," said National team athlete representative Annie Guglia. "While none of us started skateboarding thinking we could become Olympians, this new opportunity has become our life goal.
"We hope to inspire the next generation of skateboarders and spread our love of skateboarding along the way. It is deeply exciting and we are stoked and ready to make history."
