World skate in Sharjah
World championships narrow the Olympic field and put Sharjah on the map for skateboarding.
By Catherine Mazy
When Arada included a skate park in the Madar entertainment district of its giant Aljada community, it aimed high. Not only would there be beginner and intermediate areas, but it would include professional-level terrains worthy of the Olympics.
Indeed, more than 300 of the world’s best skaters came to Aljada for the Street World Championships, followed by the Park World Cham-pionships in January and February. These are Olympic qualifier events in which the top 32 finishers advance to the quarterfinals, then semifinals to determine who will compete in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.
Rayssa Leal of Brazil placed first in the women’s street championships, and Aurélien Giraud of France won the men’s event. In the park championship, Jagger Eaton of the US won the men’s, and Sky Brown of the UK won the women’s contest.
Keegan Palmer, an Australian who won the first-ever men’s park skateboarding gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and who placed eighth in Sharjah, helped design the pro park. It draws inspiration from famous skate parks around the world, such as Australia’s Bondi Beach and Salt Lake City in the US. A large vert wall in Aljada is similar to the one at Ariake Urban Sports Park in Tokyo, where the games were held.
“These events mark another piece of sporting history for Sharjah, and once again showcase the UAE’s position as a hugely attractive destination for a range of sports from around the world,” says HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal, vice chairman of Arada. “Skateboarding is one of the fastest-growing sports globally and having built the best skate park in the region, we’re very excited at the opportunity to see the world’s best skaters put it through its paces.”
Aljada Skate Park is spread over almost 8,500 square metres and consists of six parks. Smaller bowls, street sections, snake runs and other spaces allow beginners to hone their skills. At the competition level, the street course and park construction feature two deep ends of 3.3 metres, quarter pipes, stair rails and ledges.
The parks’ oval shapes mirror the elliptical forms used by Zaha Hadid Architects in the design of the Madar district, which is the vibrant heart of the Aljada community, with outdoor cinema, dining, parks and other acti- vities. The shape conceptualises a water droplet striking the Earth’s
surface.
PHOTOGRAPH: From the series In Search of a Lost Tune by Reyad Abedin
