Brazil’s Rayssa Leal and Portugal’s Gustavo Ribeiro took the championship in the 2022 SLS Triple Crown season
It’s an Olympic year, which means that skateboarding, which was added to the program for the Tokyo 2020 Games and which will return in Paris this summer, will see a spike in exposure and awareness.
Olympic skateboarding will certainly receive the most coverage in 2024, but it’s far from the only competitive skateboarding on the calendar. Street League Skateboarding, widely regarded as the world’s premier street skateboarding competition, will kick off the 2024 Championship Tour schedule with a season opener at the brand-new Adidas Arena in Paris, France, on Feb. 24.
The expanded Championship Tour will feature eight stops, starting in Paris and ending with the two-day SLS Super Crown in São Paulo, Brazil on Dec. 14-15.
Ahead of the Super Crown championship, SLS will host four international Majors and three brand-new APEX challenge events, all of which will contribute to season point standings to determine invites to the Super Crown.
The APEX event format was created to progress competitive skateboarding by expanding the Championship Tour—and, with it, opportunity for up-and-coming skaters.
The events, which will be held at UFC APEX, will feature eight men and eight women per competition—six of the world’s top skaters and two wild card spots. Points accumulated at these events contribute to skaters’ overall standings in the Championship Tour and determine invites for the SLS Super Crown.
This year’s season will also offer the largest total prize purse in SLS history, totaling $1.8 million. The purse will be split between men and women at each of the stops leading up to the Super Crown, with the men’s and women’s champion taking home a $100,000 prize—the largest single event prize in competitive skateboarding.
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 14: Nyjah Huston of the United States competes during the final for the SLS Super Crown World Championship on November 14, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)GETTY IMAGES
“Street League Skateboarding fully embodies the relentless spirit of progression,” said Rob Dyrdek, founder of SLS. “This year, we’re redefining what is possible with an expansion to the SLS Championship Tour that blends competition with innovation.”
From Paris in February, SLS will hold stops once a month until May and then again from September to December, pausing during the Paris Olympics in late July and early August.
The stops in between the Paris season opener in February and December’s Super Crown include an SLS APEX event in the U.S. in March, SLS San Diego in April, an SLS APEX event in the U.S. in May and then another one in August following the Olympics, SLS Australia in October and SLS Tokyo in November.
Street League Skateboarding’ s 2024 Championship Tour schedule features an eight-stop run culminating in the Super Crown world championship in December
“I think the new APEX events will bring some new excitement and energy to the season,” said Nyjah Huston, who has won the SLS Super Crown six times.
According to a consumer report, the street skateboarding market is expected to grow 3.3% annually during the 10-year period of 2017 to 2027. (Skateboarding’s addition to the Olympic program was announced in 2016).
Interestingly, sales of skateboard decks are outpacing apparel and shoes, suggesting that people are picking up the sport, not just embracing the culture that accompanies it.
Increased contest opportunities for women, as well as equitable prize purses, both in the Olympics and other competitions, is likely a significant driver.
“It’s so amazing to see Street League continue to place a spotlight on skateboarders all over the world and inspire the next generation,” said Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, the reigning SLS Women’s Super Crown champion. “Every contest is a step towards a bigger and bolder future, especially for women’s skateboarding.”
Michelle Bruton has been writing about action sports and the Olympics and Paralympics for more than a decade, having covered Summer and Winter X Games, Summer and Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Dew Tour, world championships, and more. She covers the industry from every angle, but her favorite pieces to write are always profiles of the athletes that make these sports so compelling. Michelle’s originally from New Hampshire, where she cut her teeth as a snowboarder (and cut up her knees and elbows…a lot), and now lives in Chicago, a city that holds a gold medal in her heart despite its lack of elevation.
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