NOMAD Skates The Long Road To Tokyo

Solo synchronised swimming. Race walking. Live pigeon shooting. Though these arguably odder activities have all become Olympic sports, skateboarding has remained outside the official ranks so far.      

Come the 2020 Games, that could all change, however, thanks to a novel stunt by Spanish skate brand NOMAD and Madrid agency LOLA MullenLowe, in which a custom-created 'torch' board was skated from Zaragoza, Spain to Tokyo, Japan - the host of the next Olympics - to raise awareness and support for the sport's bid for inclusion.  

The epic journey was captured in a 20-minute documentary, The Road To Tokyo, released this week. Shot by Nixon Friere through Landia Madrid, the branded film sees a relay of eight skaters cross eight countries in 39 days and culminates in the skateboard being 'lit' and delivered to Thomas Bach, president of the IOC. 

Iván Moreno Puché, founder of NOMAD said: “Skateboarding has evolved with events like X-Games and Street League: love it or hate it, that´s a fact. However, our core skateboard culture hasn´t changed at all, skateboarding is still on the streets, DIY spots and skate parks. The Olympics will allow skateboarding to grow and that will have a positive effect on the industry."

Watch the full-length documentary here and follow the project's progress on social media via the hashtag #MakeSkateOlympic.