SkatePilipinas, the Philippine skateboarding team, is making waves at the World Skateboarding Tour (WST) held from February 25 to March 10, 2024, in Dubai. The team, consisting of both street and park skateboarders, is competing in purpose-built arenas at Dubai Harbour, with an eye on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The WST event is a crucial opportunity for skateboarders to gather points for their Olympic World Skate Ranking and the Olympic Qualifying Series. The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai has extended its support to the team, which includes notable skateboarders such as Margielyn Didal, Cindy Lou Serna, Christiana Means, John Flory Panugalinog, and Renz Mark Feliciano.
This year’s contest has attracted 194 skateboarders from 39 different countries, all competing for a chance to advance to the Olympic qualifying series in Shanghai and Budapest. Only the top 44 skateboarders, divided by discipline and gender, will move forward in the qualifying series.
World Skate, the IOC-recognized federation overseeing global skateboarding, plays a vital role in this process. Since skateboarding’s Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, the sport has seen a significant increase in global popularity, and World Skate has been pivotal in its development and integration into the Olympic Games.