Photo via PA
When the news broke late Wednesday night here in the USA that Japan's Sky Brown (who is also a Venice Skatepark local) was skating for Great Britain as we head towards the Olympics, people had a LOT of questions about the Olympics and Sky's new team!
So, we tried our best to get some answers for you.
Isn't Sky too young to compete in the Olympics? I thought you had to be like 14 or 16 years old? The age limit depends on the rules set forth by each International Sports Federation. For instance the age requirement for snowboarding is 15 and that is why Chloe Kim was not able to go the first time she qualified at age 14. Skateboarding has ruled that there is no age limit so Sky can qualify. Sky will be just over 12 years old when the 2020 summer games begin.
photo via Sky's instagram
Will Sky be the youngest British Olympian ever?Sky will be just over 12 years on the first day competition and should she qualify, Sky would become the second-youngest British Olympian at either summer or winter Olympics, only behind the figure skater Cecilia Colledge, who was 11 at the 1932 winter games in Lake Placid.
Is Sky going to compete in park or street?It would seem that Sky would compete in park as that is what she gravitates towards when she has competed in the past. But we have seen Sky doing rails at the recent Simple Sessions comp and we know she is amazing at flip tricks too - so it shouldn't be ruled out that she may try and qualify in both disciplines.
** We asked Lucy Adams, Skateboard England & Skateboard GB Chair that question via email late last week, and still have not received a response.
*** Updated response as of 5:30 AM PST at bottom of page We heard Sky might also try and be part of the Great Britain surf team going to the 2020 Olympics - is that true?Any surfer wanting to qualify would need to first be a part of the British team with British Surfing confirming to
Telegraph Sport that Brown and her family first made contact two months ago over her eligibility ahead of May's English Nationals.
"Sky is clearly a bit of a superstar, it’s great for the profile of the sport. But ultimately she’s still got to be there on merit," said British Surfing director Nick Hounsfield.
* info on surfing via Telegraph Sport
Isn't Japan going to be upset that she chose GB since she grew up in Japan? Japan is also home to two fantastic female park skaters that compete regularly on tour - Kisa Nakamura and Sakura Yosozumi. Both are forces to be reckoned with and have many seasons of competition under their belt.
Sky has said publically that she enjoys the relaxed way of thinking about competing and training that the GB team gives her so that was also part of her decision.
How does Sky get to skate for Great Britain if she was born in Japan?Sky's dad is a UK citizen so by birth she has dual citizenship and that qualifies her.
Great Britain released a photo of their team and Sky was the only female, yet there are 4 guys - why are there no other girls on the GB team benefiting from GB's Aspiration Fund?Again, we asked Lucy Adams, Skateboard England & Skateboard GB Chair that question via email late last week, and still have not received a response.
*** Updated response as of 5:30 AM PST at bottom of page **Editors Note- There are rad girls charging hard like Stefani Nurding, Rianne Evans, Savannah Keenan, Amy Ram, Helena Long, Georgie Winter and Samanatha Bruce, Lola T. in the UK - just to name a few...
Will Sky receive funding from GB to help her train and compete?It seems so, as GB has an Aspiration Fund that they say will financially help the 5 skaters they have named to the team.Will other female skateboarders in great Britain have any chance to make the Olympic team now?Other British skateboarders will still be able to qualify through Skateboard GB, but will need to fund their own costs, unless additional sponsorship can be found.
If Sky is the only girl on the GB team- doesn't that mean she automatically goes to the Olympics?No, because skateboarding is an "exhibition" sport so qualifying is done by continent, not country. In "Europe" Sky will be up against seasoned female pro's like Lizzie Armanto (Finland) and Amelia Brodka (Poland) among others, to secure a spot at the Olympics.
** Note: Amelia and Lizzie both reside and skate in the USA but Amelia was born in Poland and Lizzie's dad is from Finland so they qualify to skate for those countries.Stay tuned as it looks like we will be seeing a lot more news on Sky as we move towards the 2020 Olympics!Congrats to Sky and Great Britain!! Editors note: We received a response about the 2 questions we asked above from Lucy Adams, Skateboard England & Skateboard GB Chair at 5:30 AM PST that read "I think you have your angle already from reading the questions." We're not sure what that means, as those were questions any federation should have been asked already by numerous media outlets that covered the announcement - when there is one female and four guys on a National team, that begs the question as to why? And not announcing which discipline Sky will skate in should have been addressed as well, as people want to know - she is a fan favorite all over the world.
