“I totally subscribe to it. This is the reaction of Mathieu Hazouard when we tell him that Bordeaux is becoming the French capital of skate on the occasion of the launch of the works of the brand new park on the quays of Chartrons. The Sports Assistant does not hide his ambitions on the subject. Yes, the city has the ambition to become a French and European reference in the image of Malmö in Sweden in the practice of this sport. And she gives herself the means.
Inaugurated in 2006, the skatepark will be renovated by November 2022. The new space of 2,387 m2 (like the previous one) will be a little different with lower modules (sidewalks, benches or stairs) (a maximum height of 1.50 m). The quays located within the perimeter listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You had to follow certain rules. In 2023, a new bowl will see the light of day on the other side of the Garonne in the Parc des Angéliques. A new investment of 500,000 euros after the million quais des Chartrons.
A festival project for 2023
“There is a real history in Bordeaux around skateboarding, recalls Mathieu Hazouard. We want to continue to be a stronghold. For that, you have to stay attractive. Are we THE capital of skateboarding? It depends on what criteria… But we’re really not far from it! For Grégoire Grange of the Boardo association, a skate school, “Bordeaux has clearly become the French capital of the discipline” despite competition from Paris and Marseille. There is of course all this new equipment and the number of practitioners that has risen sharply in recent years, but not only: “It’s above all a question of state of mind, working hand in hand with elected officials pays off. We move forward with a common will. »
The city also plans to install new mobile modules in different places in the coming weeks (Place André Meunier, near the Mériadeck ice rink and in the Grand Parc and Bacalan districts), particularly during the works. All of this is in the perspective of the 2024 Olympics since Bordeaux has been chosen as a preparation center for the discipline. The city, which has recently welcomed the French Roller and Skateboard Federation, hopes to attract the best French people and also foreign delegations thanks to its new infrastructures. Finally, she has in her boxes an Urban Street festival project around all sliding disciplines. Its first edition could be held in 2023.