Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: The world’s best skaters will be heading to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this year after World Skate governing body has confirmed that two qualifying contests for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will be held at the Aljada Skate Park in Sharjah.
The two Road to Paris contests are part of the Street 2022 World Championships, which will be held between January 29 and February 5, followed by the Park 2022 World Championships from February 5-12.
Both the contests are being jointly organized by World Skate and UAE-based mega developer Arada and highlight Sharjah’s stance as a new regional center for this rapidly expanding sport.
It will be for the first time that a pro-skating event of such a level would be held in the Middle East and athletes hoping to contest in the next Olympics must get ranking points to qualify while participating in a limited number of actions, which makes the Sharjah a vibrant stop on the road to Paris 2024.
Vice chairman Arada, Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal has said that these events would mark another episode of sporting history for Sharjah, and once again display the UAE’s stance as a hugely attractive spot for a huge range of sports from around the globe.
Skateboarding is one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide and having built one of the best skate parks in the region, we’re very delighted on the occasion to see the world’s best skaters put it through its paces.
Sabatino Aracu, president of World Skate, in his remarks said that they are delighted to bring skating events of this level to the Middle East for the first time in history, and in particular to see the venue of Sharjah play such a significant role on the road to Paris 2024.
Moreover, the popularity of skating has really taken off in the region in recent past, and these two qualifiers offer skaters the opportunity to enjoy an impressive new skate park, while local fans would be able to watch the world’s top professionals up close.
Sharjah’s Role in Olympics
Around 300 professional skateboarders from across the world will take part in the event, to grab points that will help them to qualify for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
The participating players comprising some of the most famous male and female contestants in the park discipline. These included Aussies Keegan Palmer, Pedro Barros from Brazil, Cory Juneau from US, Sakura Yosuzumi and Kokona Hiraki from Japan, and the UK’s Sky Brown.
Besides, street specialists US’s Jagger Eaton, Kelvin Hoefler from Brazil, Japan’s Momiji Nishya, Funa Nakayama and Yuto Horigome, and Rayssa Leal from Brazil are also on baord.
Aljada Skate Park is situated in the Aljada urban district of Sharjah being developed by Arada. Streching over almost 8,500 square meters, the Aljada Skate Park complex currently consists of six different parks, ranging from a California Skateparks-designed world-class, the Olympic-standard Street course and park construction complete with two deep ends (almost 3.3 meters in height), along with smaller bowls, snake runs, street sections, and beginner-level spaces.
The Skate Park is currently open to ride up until January 15 when preparations for the Olympic qualifier events begin.
