Plans to build two skateparks
The St Paul’s bay local council, in collaboration with the Malta Street Sports Association (MSSA) and the malta Skateboarding Association (MSA) will be hosting a sports festival on Saturday at the Bugibba square with no less than 13 different sports taking place in one area starting from 4.30pm.
The event, one of two taking place this summer will include skateboarding, BMX, scooter, and inline rollerblade events, as well as one-on-one football, street basketball, volleyball, parkour, street dance, stand-up paddle in the nearby beach, Olympic wrestling, sailing, as well as a 2k and 5k run dedicated to the memory of Dr. Victor Calvagna. All proceeds from the Sports Fest will be donated to Puttinu Cares.
This festival will bring together numerous sports organisations in Malta such as the the Malta Surf Sup Association, Federazzjoni Maltija Lotta, MOVE, parkour group Leap Squad, Street Elements dance group, and is also the first phase in building a skatepark in the north, the main ones so far being in Msida and Pembroke.
Speaking to the Times of Malta, the MSSA said they had held discussions with the St. Paul’s Bay local council and have received their commitment to build the skatepark in an unused area close to the Aquarium.
“The skatepark we are building is part of a project the MSSA had started with Regjun Tramuntana in 2019,” The MSSA said.
“We had to build a new skatepark back then for a street sports festival that got postponed due to COVID-19. Since then, we have been working with Regjun Tramuntana to find a permanent location for it.
“This year, with the help of MSA (Malta Skateboarding Association) and the Saint Paul’s Bay local council, we have found a location and the council has approved it in one of their meetings as well.”
The event will also feature a show from BMX professional Aaron Haywood- one of the top riders in the UK (5pm).
Ahead of the event, the MSSA and the organisations involved have urged anyone interested in making use of the courses for their respective sport to register beforehand here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxjpQbdD9ER3UpRAYywsSDamH4OdOn_1hWUJ8qEYRY7ZMGKg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0v9kVk4uX_2KFytDJKX0_2LrdPSZYsJqFLEHCvh9n48qW9JB33CnEZU-w&pli=1
Future plans
While the Sports Fest will be part of plans for the Bugibba skatepark, the MSSA said this is not the only skatepark that they have planned for this year as together with MSA, the two organisations will be working on an additional skatepark in Paola.
“Together with the Bugibba Skatepark, we are currently in the final stages of confirming the designing another skatepark in Paola,” the MSSA said.
“Both Skateparks will be done by the end of the year. The one in Paola will be the first professional skatepark that includes the features and ramps needed to have sports like BMX, Skateboarding, Scooter, and Inline progress.
“We are really looking forward to seeing these projects materialise, big thanks to the Team and the Malta Skateboarding Association for helping us provide the necessary facilities and events needed to push our scene and community further.
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