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Skateboarders from around the world, including three of Bahrain’s thrashers, ‘shred the gnar’ and ‘spread the stoke’ in the UAE in a bid to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Saif Abdulrahman, Ahmed Haji and Faheem Balooshi joined more than 750 skaters, of which 12 were 2020 Tokyo Games Olympic medal winners, in the Street and Park 2022 World Championships at Aljada Skate Park in Sharjah - one of the largest facilities in the world inspired by some of the best arenas internationally.
“I heard about the Olympic qualifier held from January 29 to February 12 on Instagram,” said Haji, 34, an asset assistant manager from Juffair, who then shared it with his crew.
The trio rallied to get themselves to Sharjah and through their own grit and determination, they did.
They competed in the Men’s Street Qualifiers alongside 168 contestants, each bringing their own unique style and energy to the 8,300sqm skate park, which features Olympic-level street and park sections complete with two 3.3m deep ends, quarter pipes, stair rails, ledges and vert extensions.
“The course was new to all of us,” said Abdulrahman, a 26-year-old physical education teacher from Arad who helped start SkateSchool Bahrain and is a coach there too. “However, our commitment and passion for skateboarding reflected in our performance and we wowed the crowd.”
Haji added that they ‘did what they knew best and a lot of people loved their energy and style’.
Although the trio did not qualify, they still have a chance to roll into Rome to contest more Olympic World Skateboarding Ranking (OWSR) points in June.
Until then, their aim remains the same — to land a spot in next year’s skateboarding games in the Olympics in France, as well as to grow their community in Bahrain by starting a federation with facilities such as a skate park to help improve their game.
“The next qualifying event is going to be in Rome from June 18 to 25,” explained coach Abdulrahman, who said skateboarding helped him physically and mentally to be a better person. “We hope to prepare and skate more frequently as well as save up and try to make the trip.
“Also eating right and exercising more to stay in shape is key.
“However, I believe that to grow the skateboarding community in Bahrain and to be able to compete at such an international level, we need a skateboarding federation as well as a skate park. That will not only help develop our crew’s level for global competitions but also to inspire the next generation.
“Skateboarding is definitely growing in Bahrain with more children and adults joining in. I would like to see the community skateboard in a well-built skate park that’s safe for all levels. It helps the young generation create a bond with others and stay off their phones. I started skateboarding in 2010 and I still skate with the same people that I grew up with. We are a strong and committed community that has the will and passion to keep pushing and everybody is welcome to join the wonderful sport.
“We hope to be in Rome this year and represent Bahrain and show what skateboarding is all about.”
Haji agrees, saying that ‘skateboarding is not just for kids, it’s for everyone and it’s a lifestyle that can help connect the world’.
“I’ve connected with so many people through skateboarding,” he said. “It’s a beautiful sport that can do so much for people.”
The sport had originally taken off in the 20th century as a recreational activity. It then evolved from just ‘cruising’ the streets on a small board mounted on four wheels to performing hair-raising tricks and aerial acrobatics at tournaments.
There are three types of skating – street, freestyle and vert. Street skateboarding focuses on flat ground tricks, grinds, slides and aerials within urban environments and public spaces. Vert is short for vertical and is the act of riding a skateboard on a skate ramp or other inclines with tricks and freestyle is technical flat ground skateboarding with music and choreography.
Bahrain’s boarders are keeping their Olympic dreams alive.
“We already made it to the qualifiers in Sharjah and Inshallah it will only get better from here,” said Balooshi, a 29-year-old customer service officer living in Manama. “We have got some crazy local riders who are ripping it and we will keep practising and working for the next contest.”
