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How is Skateboarding Scored in the Olympics?
by
amanda prahl
Getty | Kirill Kudryavtsev
After the sport’s Olympics debut in Tokyo four years ago, skateboarding has returned for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. While you may know a few things about the event – such as how, similar to other outdoor sports like surfing, skateboarding is dependent on weather conditions (hence why it was initially postponed due to rain) – what you may not know is how skateboarding is scored. Fortunately, it’s not too tricky, even for newbies.
If you’re tuning in for the first time, allow us to break down the basics. Although there are two separate types of skateboarding events – called street skateboarding and park skateboarding – both have a pretty similar scoring structure. Judges award points to skaters based on things like speed, creativity, difficulty, balance and stability, and other components. There are also two phases, tricks and runs, to take into consideration, which is a new and updated scoring measure for the Paris 2024 competition.
According to the Olympics website, there was also a new rule implemented for the trick phase of the competition called the “Scoring Refusal Procedure.” This means a skateboarder can now have one trick removed from the record, as long as they attempt to recreate it and improve upon its current score, without penalty.
Here’s what you need to know about the two types of skateboarding you’ll see and how each one is scored.
– Additional reporting by Jade Esmeralda
Related: How Learning to Skateboard Transformed My Life at 35
Getty | Eurasia Sport Images
How Is Street Skateboarding Scored?
Street skateboarding takes place on a flatter course, with ramps, stairs, rails, and curved sides along two boundaries of the arena. According to the official skateboarding Olympic page, skaters will compete in four heats of five skaters each. For each round, each skater will perform two runs (lasting 45 seconds each) and five trick attempts.
While at the Tokyo Olympics, the panel of five judges scored each run or trick on a 10-point scale, ranging from 0 to 10, there is a change in scoring for the Paris Olympics. Now, skaters will be judged on a scale between 0 and 100. The total will include the skateboarder’s best score from each of the phases – the best run out of two, in addition to two of their best tricks – for a final score between 0 and 300.
The top eight skaters overall will move on to the finals, where they’ll be scored the same way in order to determine the gold, silver, and bronze medalists.
Getty | ODD ANDERSON / ODD ANDERSEN
How Is Park Skateboarding Scored?
Park skateboarding differs from the street event mainly in the shape of its arena. Instead of a mostly flat surface with obstacles, the arena is bowl-shaped with smaller hills and ramps inside.
The preliminaries of the park event will also have 20 skaters, sorted into four heats of five skaters each. Each skater has the opportunity to perform three 45-second runs, which are scored on a scale of 0 to 100, by a panel of five judges.The highest of the three run scores will be the skater’s final score and determine their ranking.
The top eight skaters overall advance to the finals, where each run will be scored on a scale of 0 to 100 points by five judges. The highest and lowest scores of each run are dropped and the remaining three are averaged. From there, they’ll compete the same way in hopes of earning a gold, silver, or bronze medal.
To learn more about all the Olympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Paris Olympics this summer on Peacock.
Amanda Prahl is a freelance writer, playwright/lyricist, dramaturg, teacher, and copywriter/editor. Amanda has also contributed to Slate, Bustle, Mic, The Mary Sue, and others.
Jade Esmeralda, MS, CSCS, is a Staff Writer, Health & Fitness. A life-long martial artist and dancer, Jade has a strong passion for strength & conditioning, sports science, and human performance. She graduated with a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science and Strength and Conditioning from George Washington University.