Sawt Falasteen - Baghdad's first skatepark offers boarders rare respite

"It's only my second time skating, but I want to keep going, especially now we have the space for it here in Baghdad," the 22-year-old said as loud music mixed with laughter from fellow boarders.

After negotiating with authorities for five years, three organisations from Italy, Iraq and Belgium have now opened Baghdad's first skatepark.

It is not the first in the country, however: that honour went to the northern city of Sulaimaniyah.

The new skatepark at the sports ministry in a Baghdad suburb provides a welcome means of escape for young people in a country that has endured decades of conflict and crisis.

It also offers a rare respite from the often scrutinising gaze of conservative Iraqi society.

Zubaidi, wearing a pink sweater, watched fellow enthusiasts, both professional and amateur, as they rolled on colourful boards in the open-air park.

"When my friends first told me about skateboarding, I was scared," she said -- not just of falling but also because of what people might say and because her parents might not approve.

"But when I tried it, it just filled me with a beautiful energy," she added.

The skatepark project "is about inclusivity and community, about having a place for everyone", said Ishtar Obaid of Iraq's "Forsah" association.

Forsah, which means "opportunity", was one of the three organisations that spearheaded the project.

- 'A new chapter' -

It provides a space "where people from different backgrounds" come together, and "that's the beauty of sport", said Obaid, who also advises Iraq's Olympic committee.

Her organisation plans to run skateboarding classes for children and trainers.

"It is a new chapter for sports in Iraq," Obaid said.

When the authorities approved the project in late 2024, the associations including Make Life Skate Life, a Belgian-US charity that has set up skateparks in northern Iraq, Libya and India, built the new facility in just one month.

Kjell Van Hansewyck of Make Life Skate Life said it was a "real struggle" to find a location for the skatepark.

He described Baghdad as "a crowded city with a lot of pollution and traffic jams", and lacking "public land and facilities for children".

The Iraqi capital is bustling with dozens of infrastructure and construction projects. Towering cranes and machinery dominate its streets, as new tunnels and bridges are being built.

"It is like one big job site," Van Hansewyck said.

When authorities said they could provide space at the sports ministry, the groups could hardly turn down the offer, despite this meaning skaters would have to pass through security checkpoints.

Van Hansewyck said the skatepark is "not visible from the streets", which makes it difficult for people who want to check it out.

But he is confident that passionate skaters will still promote the park and do everything possible to make it a major attraction.

- 'You become friends' -

Mohammad al-Qadi, 19, bought his first skateboard in 2019, the year he also joined a wave of nationwide anti-government protests.

Baghdad was the vibrant epicentre of the movement. Protesters also organised cultural and sports events before the demonstrations were crushed in a brutal crackdown that saw more than 600 people killed.

Since then, Qadi had only been able to skate on Baghdad's busy streets.

"When we took to the streets with our skateboards, people would call us bad boys," he said.

In conservative Iraq, skateboarding is widely viewed as an alternative sport adopted by rebellious youths -- forcing many to shun it for fear of ruining their reputations.

Qadi said this perception may have slightly improved, but until now local skaters still had nowhere to go.

"When I feel pressured by my studies or in my personal life, I turn to skateboarding, which has never let me down," he said.

The new skatepark offers an "opportunity" for a break and a rethink, Qadi added.

Hussein Ali, 18, has been skating for five years and said he hoped Iraq will eventually have a "national team" to compete in championships.

Skateboarding was one of five sports that made an Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 games.

For some in Iraq, skateboarding provides a sense of normality in a country where violence had long been a fact of life.

For Ali, it is also a way to meet new people.

"When you see someone else skating you simply reach out, and just like that, you become friends."

Q.Najjar--SF-PST