Gliding Its Way Through the Middle East: Here’s Why Skateboarding is Becoming the Next Best Sport!
Skateboarding is one of those activities that feed both the mind and soul. Coordination, pain tolerance, stress alleviation, precision, reflexes, and patience are all cultivated through this activity. Also, skateboarding improves coordination of the hands, eyes, legs, and feet. Skateboarding was reintroduced as an Olympic sport in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. This aided the growth of the sport in many areas, and we’re happy that it has now reached the Middle East!
Vans is one of the most well-known skateboarding brands, and they frequently develop campaigns to encourage people to participate in the sport and promote knowledge about it, particularly in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries where skateboarding is gaining popularity and establishing itself as a culture.
Abdullah Fageeh and Ali bin Mahfouz are two Saudi skateboarders who have been generating a stir in the country. Their relationship came out of skating, and now their life’s mission is to spread the word about it as a sport and lifestyle throughout the kingdom.
Ali Bin Mahfouz, a skateboarder from Jeddah.
With the recently established Snoubar Skate Park, the sport’s expansion has reached Lebanon, providing a free-of-charge skateboarding arena from sunrise to sunset, allowing Beirut’s children to gather and practice skating safely while encouraging psycho-social welfare and community spirit. This new skatepark also offers classes for kids who are enthusiastic about the sport and want to learn everything there is to know about skateboarding.
Following Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, Gaza has seen a rise in skateboarding as more people take up the sport. According to Al-Monitor report, skateboarding is empowering young females at this time, as they train to hone their skills and to forget about the political scene. They learn new roller-skating and skateboarding techniques, which helps them avoid accidents while also boosting their confidence. Initially, social customs and traditions hindered many females from participating in this sport, particularly when their families did not encourage them to do so. Skateboards are difficult to come by for many female skaters, as they are not available in the Gaza Strip except in establishments that sell secondhand items or those imported from Israel.
Finally, Egypt is the last country where skateboarding has seen a growth in popularity and engagement. The skateboarding trend in Egypt began as a result of lockdown boredom, but it has soon swept across the country as one of the fastest-growing trends. According to the National News Report, thousands of Egyptians are learning hundreds of tricks and movements, thanks to Facebook groups and inspiration from skateboarding’s debut at the Tokyo Olympics! This trend is also amongst females as they also are superb skaters. It’s also a sport that women can practice without having to change the way they dress, enabling veiled women to join.
Skateboarding is a wonderful sport and one of the coolest activities out there, and we hope to see it become a widespread sport in the region one day.
