Skateboarding would have to be the most 'fun' and 'cool' looking event at the Olympics to an outsider and young kids. Think of all the new potential shoe sales, and if you see that swoosh on an Olympic skaters feet, you know exactly who makes the shoes. So a few more sales for Nike, and then a lot more sales when all these new skate kids going through a few pairs a year.
Surely they are just cutting deadwood. Or making room on the team for all these 'post olympic' rippers about to come on the scene