China's first pro skater Che Lin

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In August of last year, the International Olympic Committee voted for skateboarding, surfing, rock climbing, baseball, softball and karate to be added to the program at the next Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Source: IOC (International Olympic Committee)

The IOC explained that the decision was an attempt to attract a younger audience to watch the Olympics, especially in the age of social media.

Skateboarding could be an important move in helping the IOC reach their goal of reaching a younger audience.

Source: VCG (Visual China Group)

As a street sport, skateboarding is easily accessible as it doesn't require sophisticated facilities or equipment and the boards are portable. In some parts of the world, skateboarding has merged into popular culture with fashion brands borrowing elements from the subculture into their designs.

However, not all skateboarders feel good about the way some parts of the sport has gone mainstream. For them, it's about the love of the sport.

Che Lin. /By CGTN

Che Lin, who is known as "the first skateboarder of China," may well be one of the best of them.

Born in 1981, Che first learned about skateboarding at the age of nine, when he saw it in the American film "Gleaming the Cube." He was fascinated immediately. "I thought it was so cool," he said.

CGTN Photo

Skateboarding was totally new to Chinese people in the 1990s, and finding training resources was difficult for Che. He asked his friends to copy videotapes from abroad, and started learning tricks frame by frame.

CGTN Photo

Looking back at how he started, Che says, "the more you learn, the better you'd perform, and the more fun you'd have. That's what took me here today.”

Gradually, Che honed his skills. In 2003, he became a professional skateboarder, an accomplishment without precedent in China.

CGTN Photo

In 2005, he took part in the Asian Indoor Games and won a gold medal for the country. China's "first skateboarder" then became a frequent winner at all kinds of skateboarding events, and officially became a skateboarding pioneer in China.

CGTN Photo

In addition to competing, 36-year-old Che has recently started spending more of his time promoting the sport.

One of his biggest challenges is helping parents understand that it's safe for their kids to learn.

CGTN Photo

"It's hard to popularize in China, mostly because of the parents' concerns. They always say it's a dangerous game. Too dangerous! Stop playing it! Actually, it's not that risky. According to some foreign statistics, the injury rate is even lower in skateboarding than that in fishing. Besides, we're offering training lessons. We teach young people how to play and how to avoid getting injured. And we show them the right way to do it."

CGTN Photo

Che has seen the community grow as more foreign skateboarders are coming to China to shoot their videos and engage in community activities. In 2015, June 21 was marked as "Go Skateboarding Day," where fans of the sport celebrate by skating.

CGTN Photo

CGTN Phot

It has been 12 years since Che won the country's first gold medal at the Asian Indoor Games. By 2016, however, the Chinese Extreme Sports Association claimed that there were no more than 50 professional skateboarders in the country. Becoming a program in the Olympics may help the sport gain popularity in China, but some people prefer the freedom of it being just a street sport.

Che Lin doesn't say much about his future plans though: "I'll just try my best to promote the game." For him, this is enough.

CGTN Photo

The story is one in "The 1.3 Billion" series exploring the diverse lives that make up China.