SHARJAH: The Street World Championship 2022 today kicks off at Aljada Skate Park in Sharjah after the opening ceremony on Saturday night was attended by some of the world’s best skaters and Prince Khaled bin Al-Waleed bin Talal, vice chairman of Arada, developers of the competition’s spectacular new venue.
The competition runs until Feb. 5 and will immediately be followed by the Park World Championship 2022 from Feb. 5-12. Both act as qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “Over the next two weeks, Aljada Skate Park will be hosting the biggest-ever international skateboarding event that has been organized by the sport’s governing body, World Skate,” said Prince Khaled, a long-time supporter of the development of the sport in the Arab world. “Over 460 elite athletes from 63 countries are coming to Sharjah to showcase their skills in one of the planet’s fastest-growing sports.” Prince Khaled highlighted the caliber of the 450-strong field that includes the likes of Momiji Nishiya, who won the first-ever gold medal in the women’s street skateboarding at the 2020 Olympics aged just 13; and Rayssa Leal, the 15-year-old Brazilian skateboarder with 6.4 million Instagram followers who won silver in the women’s street skateboarding also at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “Taking place over 12 days, these two back-to-back events are an important part of the qualifying process for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is why all 12 medal winners from the most recent Olympic Games in Tokyo have flown into the UAE to take part,” Prince Khaled said.
The ceremony was also attended by Sabatino Aracu, president of World Skate, and was presented by journalist Maya Hojeij to the backdrop of traditional Emirati performances. “A huge amount