WORLD SKATE 2022 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The skateboarding world's elite are descending upon the United Arab Emirates for the 2022 Street and Park World Championships, which also serve as qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The competition, which takes place at the state-of-the-art Aljada Skate Park in Sharjah, will feature all 12 medalists from the 2020 Tokyo Games, as well as over 300 top skateboarders from around the globe.

The Aljada Skate Park, one of the largest Skate facilities in the world, has everything from Olympic-level street and park sections all the way down to smaller bowls, street sections, snake runs, and beginner-level spaces. The Australian gold medalist for the park discipline in Tokyo, Keegan Palmer, had this to say about the venue: "Aljada is an amazing facility, the perfect location for an Olympic qualifier."

This marks the first time that a pro-skating event of this caliber has been held in the Middle East, solidifying Sharjah's position as a new regional hub for the rapidly expanding sport. The two-part competition, co-organized by World Skate and UAE-based developer Arada, is a crucial stop on the road to Paris 2024 as skaters must earn ranking points to qualify for the Olympics by participating in a limited number of events.

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal, Vice Chairman of Arada said: "These events mark another piece of sporting history for Sharjah and showcase the UAE’s position as a hugely attractive destination for a huge range of sports from around the world. 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."

The Street 2022 World Championships will take place from January 29th to February 5th, followed by the Park 2022 World Championships from February 5th to 12th. This event is a chance for fans to see world-class skaters up close and for the participating athletes to secure points to qualify for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.