The Olympics’ newest sports poised to break barriers for women, minorities

ABC News

(NEW YORK) — The Tokyo Olympics will expand its lineup of competitions with three sports that have long been championed for recognition on the global stage: skateboarding, surfing and indoor climbing.

For decades, these sports were largely represented in the U.S. by white and male superstars — including skater Tony Hawk, surfer Kelly Slater and climber Alex Honnold — but the games have the potential to change that narrative going forward for millions of minority and female fans around the world.

Lou Harris, a longtime surfer from Queens, New York who runs the local chapter of the Black Surfing Association, a surfing school that caters to young minorities, told ABC News that the display of talent from diverse athletes around the world is sure to inspire a new generation.

“They’re going to see everyone cheering them on,” Harris told ABC News. “They’re going to see Black surfers and Asian surfers and women surfers and think, ‘Hey you know, maybe I can do that.'”

The U.S. will be among the 17 nations competing in surfing, 19 nations competing in climbing events and 26 nations competing in skateboarding events for both men’s and women’s divisions. The U.S. surfing and climbing teams are each made up of two men and two women while the U.S. skateboarding team, which is separated into park and street divisions, are made up six men and women.

The skateboarding team has three members who are minorities while the other two sports are made up of all white athletes. The American teams did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mariah Duran, who’s leading the U.S. women’s Olympic street skate team, and Kyra Condie, who is on the U.S. Olympic climbing team, told ABC News they were proud to be poised to make history in Tokyo.

“As long as the sport continues to grow, that’s the ultimate goal,” Duran told ABC News about skateboarding.

Duran, Condie and Harris all reflected on their journeys in their respective sports and how the changes in the community have led to this moment.

“In general it is getting better but we still have a long way to go,” Condie told ABC News.

Catching the bug

Each of the athletes interviewed by ABC News said they got started in their sport almost the minute they saw it in person.

Harris moved to Rockaway Beach in Queens, in 2006 and said his jaw dropped when he encountered the surfers there.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God. There are surfers here? In New York?'” Harris, 49, recollected.

He said his girlfriend at the time saw his excitement and encouraged him to join in. Harris went to a local surf shop, got his first board and taught himself how to ride the waves.

“The day I caught my first wave I was like, wow, I did that myself,” he said.

Condie, 25, also got into climbing through a chance encounter around the same time. The St. Paul, Minnesota native was at a rock climbing gym for a childhood birthday party when a gym coach took notice of how adept she was.

The then 10-year-old accepted the coach’s offer to join the team.

“I pretty much immediately saw there were competition possibilities in climbing and that really suited me,” Condie said.

Climbing, for her, was more exhilarating than other sports, because she sees every competition as its own unique experience.

“I’m figuring something out and doing some fun moves that feel really interesting and jumping around and swinging out,” she said.

Duran, 24, said skateboarding similarly called to her.

The Albuquerque, New Mexico native said she followed her brother into any sport or game that he took part in, but it was skateboarding that really excited her.

There was no structured training, like when she would have to spend hours practicing for baseball. Instead, it was all up to her. Every perfect ollie, every stumble and every grind made her a stronger skater, she said.

“The individual satisfaction you get from pushing yourself and getting up after slamming, that’s just the part that I love about skating,” Duran said.

Progress, but still long roads ahead

Each of the three new Olympic sports have grown their women and minority communities by varying degrees.

A survey released in February 2020 by the University of Southern California found that 46% of skaters were non-white and a quarter were women. The study, which was funded by the Tony Hawk Foundation, revealed that skaters of color felt a degree of “safety from judgment” within the skateboarding community.

“Our research shows that through skateboarding, skaters develop the ability to communicate and build relationships with people from diverse backgrounds,” Neftalie Williams, a co-author of the report, said in a news release.

Women and minority pioneers from the 80s and 90s like Elissa Steamer, Eric Koton and Kareem Campbell paved the way for this year’s Olympic skateboarding teams. Among the six male skaters on Team USA are Nyjah Huston and Heimana Reynolds, who are both of Asian, Pacific Islander descent, and Zion Wright, who is Black.

Duran said she feels honored being part of the sport’s evolution and sharing the field with the five other women skaters. She said she never felt awkward taking part in events even when there were so few women competing at smaller, local events early in her career.

“I was always that person. I was the only girl on the baseball team or the only girl who wanted to play football on the field,” she said.

The climbing world, on the other hand, has had to deal with some growing pains. The sport has more barriers to entry since climbing gyms are scarce in parts of the country, according to Condie.

She added that climbing isn’t an NCAA sport, so athletes have fewer opportunities for scholarships while competing.

A 2016 survey by Flash Foxy, an online community for women climbers, suggested that women have the additional barrier to scale, misogyny. The survey found that women climbers were two and a half times more likely to experience microaggressions in the gym than men climbers.

Condie said she experienced this when she was a teen climber when she was turned down by her local gym to be part of its setting team, which places the grips on the climbing wall, in favor of its male members.

“Looking back, that probably wouldn’t have happened if I was a guy,” Condie said. In the end, she said, instances like that pushed her to train harder.

While Black and Latino surfers may be common in places like the Caribbean and Latin America, diversity has been more of a struggle in America. In fact, the U.S. Olympic surf team is all white.

Harris said when he started out surfing, he got bewildered stares from beachgoers who had never seen a Black man with a board. Even though he’s now a popular member of the Rockaway Beach scene, he says he still faces some struggles from people not used to the changing demographics.

He recalled one instance where a white woman from Manhattan contacted him for lessons. When she arrived, Harris introduced himself, but got an unexpected reaction.

“She looked at me and was like, ‘You’re not Louis,'” Harris recalled.

After other surfers told her that Harris was the instructor, she ran back and apologized. Harris said he forgave her.

“Now we’re good friends,” Harris said.

Giving Back

One of the ways the athletes said they are working to change these barriers is by promoting their sports to younger minorities and women.

Harris was teaching surfing for years but in 2016 he says he decided to offer free lessons to children in the neighborhood, creating the Rockaway branch of the Black Surfing Association after reading a story about a deadly fire that was started by a minor who told investigators he was bored.

Harris said that he’s heard from dozens of Black, Latino and other minority families over the years who expressed interest in getting their kids into surfing after years of hesitation.

“They’re like, ‘My son or my daughter wants to surf, but we don’t know how to do it,'” Harris said. “They don’t want to be embarrassed in front of all of the white kids.”

Harris said he’s helped to ease those apprehensions by promoting his program and his diverse group of surfers with presentations on the beach, pep talks at local schools, and most importantly on social media.

Duran said she’s seen more women hit the half pipes and skate parks and add to their unique personalities and styles to the sport.

Many are inspired by seeing the videos of women competing in professional competitions, amateur acts and other tricks online, according to Duran.

“I’ve kind of described it as a tree,” Duran said of the skateboarding community. “The root and the culture are always going to be the same, but you can branch as far as you want out of it. There is no right or wrong way.”

Condie has also been using her social media platforms to promote climbing among underrepresented athletes, and show that not every day is a walk in the park.

Condie said for every Instagram story showing a successful, quick climb there’s one where she stumbles or takes longer than her usual best.

Condie said she’s most proud of the feedback that she gets online, anytime she promotes women and minority climbers who typically don’t get the spotlight.

She said she’s most looking forward to having her sport boosted by the Olympics.

Making a mark in Tokyo

When the International Olympic Committee announced in 2016 that climbing would be an Olympic sport at Tokyo, Condie said she did not hesitate to try out for the team.

After years three years of practice, competitions and qualifying, she said she’s anxious to make history with other top climbers, such as Nathaniel Coleman, Colin Duffy and Brooke Raboutou.

“I think everybody is like-minded and great role models for the sport, and that’s something I’m proud of,” she said.

Duran said she still can’t believe that skateboarding and the Olympics will be said in the same sentence, and that she qualified for the team. She added that she would be honored if one or two more girls picked up a board just from seeing the women’s team.

“I quit all of my other sports that could potentially be in the Olympics to skate,” Duran said. “It was more of a confirmation that I was meant to be here.”

While the U.S. Olympic surfing team doesn’t have any minorities, Harris predicted the sport’s worldwide coverage will excite and inspire fans from all over the world.

Harris likened it to when he saw “The Karate Kid” as a teenager and immediately began practicing martial arts. He recommended that surfing schools and other organizations should start planning for that rise in demand.

“I’m telling you everyone is going to get a commemorative surfing board when this is done,” he said.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Nursing moms will be allowed to bring their children to Tokyo Olympics

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(NEW YORK) — USWNT player Alex Morgan says she’s “still not sure” about whether the new Tokyo Olympics policy for nursing mothers will allow her to bring her 1-year-old daughter to the games.

The soccer superstar took to Twitter to verbalize her confusion on Thursday.

“Still not sure what ‘when necessary’ even means. Is that determined by the mother or the IOC?” she tweeted. “We are Olympic mothers telling you, it is NECESSARY. I have not been contacted about being able to bring my daughter with me to Japan and we leave in 7 days.”

Several athletes have complained about the initial restrictions, which banned them from bringing their families along. On Wednesday, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee issued a statement that the restrictions have now been eased to allow nursing mothers to bring their children with them to the Games.

“It is inspiring that so many athletes with young children are able to continue competing at the highest levels, including at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we are committed to doing everything possible to enable them to perform at the Tokyo 2020 Games,” the committee said in a statement obtained by “ABC News.” “After careful consideration of the unique situation facing athletes with nursing children, we are pleased to confirm that, when necessary, nursing children will be able to accompany athletes to Japan.”

The committee stated that the residential zone of the Olympic and Paralympic Village is restricted to athletes and team officials only so nursing children “must stay in private accommodation approved by Tokyo 2020, e.g. hotels.”

“It is great to see so many mothers compete at the highest level, including at the Olympic Games,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement. “We are very pleased to hear that the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has found a special solution regarding the entry to Japan for mothers who are breastfeeding and their young children.”

The wording of the policy, however, is now drawing criticism, with Morgan’s teammate Megan Rapinoe also showing support for Olympic parents.

Earlier this year, officials announced their decision to bar all foreign spectators from attending the games, which includes any of the visiting athletes’ families. Officials also recently stated that all venues would be at 50% capacity, with a maximum of 10,000 people, to adhere to the Japanese government’s limits on public events.

Prior to the rule update, athletes were saying they felt forced to decide between being an Olympic athlete and a mom.

Marathon runner Aliphine Tuliamuk posted a photo Monday on Instagram saying she “feels torn” and has “cried a lot” thinking about not being able to bring her 5-month-old daughter, Zoe, with her to the Olympics.

Tuliamuk qualified by placing first at the Women’s 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials back in February 2020 and has been training since giving birth to be ready for the event.

“I have been working my butt off since having my daughter, I want to produce the best result possible, my long runs & workouts are coming together nicely, body is holding together well,” she wrote.

In her post, Tuliamuk stressed the difficulty in being apart from her daughter for even half a day, let alone the 10 days she’ll be away at the Olympics.

“I know that I will be leaving her for only 10 days, and she will be just fine, and that so many other moms have done the same, but I can’t even imagine being away from her for half a day,” she said.

“Motherhood is a beautiful thing, I love being Zoe’s mom more than life itself, I have never felt such immense, immeasurable love for someone before,” Tuliamuk continued. “Motherhood is also scary, I go down this rabbit hole sometimes, sometimes I think, what if something horrible happens and I never come home, like what if I never make it back from Tokyo? I am sure all moms understand this exact feeling. Motherhood has made me so vulnerable, I feel like my heart is hanging outside of my body.”

The 2021 Tokyo Olympics will begin July 23 and end Aug. 8.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Scoreboard roundup — 7/1/21

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston 15, Kansas City 1
Seattle 7, Toronto 2
Chi White Sox 8, Minnesota 5
Texas 8, Oakland 3
Houston 7, Cleveland 2
LA Angels at NY Yankees (Postponed)

NATIONAL LEAGUE
LA Dodgers 6, Washington 2
Atlanta 4, NY Mets 3
Milwaukee 7, Pittsburgh 2
Cincinnati 5, San Diego 4
Colorado 5, St. Louis 2
Arizona 5, San Francisco 3
Miami at Philadelphia (Postponed)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Milwaukee 123, Atlanta 112 (Milwaukee leads series 3-2)

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Connecticut 86, Indiana 80

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Austin FC 4, Portland 1

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First-generation college graduate says she ‘manifested’ making Olympic team

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(EUGENE, Ore) – Quanesha Burks is proving dreams do really come true.

The 26-year-old is heading to Tokyo for the 2021 Olympics after jumping her personal best in the women’s long jump. Burks placed third with a jump of 22 feet, 10 inches, clinching a spot on the team.

Burks said going from her first job in high school working at McDonald’s to being an Olympian is a dream come true.

In a TikTok video, Burks shared how she “manifested” making Team USA by repeating to herself, “I’m going to be an Olympian,” daily leading up to the trials.

“There was so much negativity but I just kept telling myself, ‘I’m going to be an Olympian,’ and started recording it,” Burks told “Good Morning America.”

Her video received over 100,000 likes and over 300,000 views in just three days.

Burks was raised by her grandparents in a small town in Alabama and was the first in her family to go to college.

She received a track scholarship to the University of Alabama and graduated with a degree in education.

Not only is she training for Tokyo, she is also working as a tutor and nanny for young children.

Burks has two younger sisters and wants to be an inspiration for young girls.

“All you need to do is have faith and believe in yourself. If you believe in yourself, you’re unstoppable,” Burks said.

Burks hopes to open a learning development center to help other children like her.

As far as the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, Burks said she’s “really looking forward to get on the podium.”

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