Bahrain is witnessing the emergence of a new crop of shredders grinding the rails, pointing at a steadily growing skater community, as it gets ready to celebrate ‘Go Skateboarding Day’ this month.
The international event, marked annually on June 21, brings skater boys and girls together to ride and elevate the energy of skateboarding around the world.
What started as a recreational activity in the 20th century has evolved over the years from just ‘cruising’ the streets on a small board mounted on four wheels to performing hair-raising tricks and aerial acrobatics at tournaments.
The action sport made its historic Olympic debut at Tokyo, Japan, in 2021, returning for the Paris 2024 Summer Games. Recently, it was declared a mandatory segment for the upcoming LA 2028 Summer Olympics, advancing its popularity among extreme sport enthusiasts in the kingdom and beyond.
Bahrain’s first official Skate School was founded by veteran athlete Zeyad Jirjawi, who represented the kingdom in the SAESF Cup Skating Championships at Saudi Arabia in 2021. He has won several other competitions, including events across the causeway and in Kuwait.
Skate School provided local skateboarders a central community hub and through it, Mr Jirjawi taught budding enthusiasts the tricks of the trade. Though it no longer actively operates, the institution ignited the spark within a new generation.
In the last couple of years, many skating groups have sprouted across the island. Among them is Bahrain Skate, founded by Tareq Jawad in 2023. While the ensemble is fairly new, its members have been into the sport for many years and they meet every weekend at The Skate Park in Riffa to kick turns and grind the rails.
The rink was recently inaugurated by Shaikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Shaikh Mohammed bin Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and the project has been implemented upon the directives of His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sport chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
While the official inauguration happened this month, the cultural space has been open for users since the beginning of the year and adds to the kingdom’s sports infrastructure, reflecting its commitment to providing modern facilities for the youth.
“The idea was to engage both, skaters and non-skaters,” Mr Jawad told the GDN, highlighting that he wanted to encourage more people to join the activity.
The 30-year-old musician and skater boy had his first tryst with the board at 15. Since then, he has competed locally and internationally at The Local Hero Tour by RedBull in Bahrain, Grand Skate Tour in Russia, International Festival of Extreme Sports (FISE) in Saudi Arabia and more. Spurred on by his experiences, he launched Bahrain Skate to do something for the local community.
“Bahrain Skate’s first showcase was at Layali Al Muharraq where we organised a stakeboarding and painting segment. We brought some obstacles and had local videographers film the stunts. Some of the videos even premiered at the event,” recounted the Saar resident, highlighting plans to participate again.
The rink’s official inauguration
The creative talent revealed his dreams to build a national team for the Olympics. The international sporting event features two styles – street, which is raw, and park, which is more structured.
Around 40 female participants competed at the Tokyo Games and 44 at the Paris Olympics, indicating a global trend of more women taking up skateboarding – originally considered a male-dominated sport.
The local skating community has also seen many young women getting on deck. Among them is Bahraini graphic designer Mariam Alwardi. “I started skating at 23 after a friend offered to teach me. I began rollerblading and gradually took up skateboarding,” recounted the 28-year-old Saar resident, who previously participated at a competition in Saudi Arabia.
Ms Alwardi revealed that she has always had a penchant for extreme sports like mountain biking. Discovering that she was one of the few females in the field did not stop her.
Bahraini teacher and mental health practitioner Alya Altareef, who also enjoys adrenaline sports, said: “What I love most about skateboarding is the absolute freedom and presence it demands.
“In my profession, I know how valuable it is to be fully grounded in the moment. When you are on a board you have to be entirely present.”
The 29-year-old from Seef District began skateboarding during her university days in Scotland.
“I went on a surf trip, tried a cruiser board for the very first time and it was instant love. When I moved back to Bahrain in 2019, I discovered Bahrain’s skate community and took up formal lessons,” she said.
Ms Altareef encourages aspirant female stake boarders to ‘take up their space’.
“Don’t worry about looking perfect or doing the hardest tricks right away. Find your community, embrace the shaky starts, and just get on the board and flow. Your people are out there waiting for you,” she remarked.
Echoing her sentiments, Ms Alwardi noted that the most important thing is to keep going and enjoy the process. “Even if you cannot land a trick yet, do not let that discourage you; consistency and confidence come with time,” she added.
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