un grand saut vers les JO
To find the equivalent of Kasama Park, in Japan, where the Blues had established their quarters before the last Olympics, the French team had to go into exile in February in Los Angeles for a scene in optimal conditions.
Less than thirty months from the Paris Olympics, the construction of such equipment, covered, is beginning to become urgent. “This is the subject that occupies most of my time, admits Sébastien Sobczak, the national technical director. Ideally, in September 2023, at the start of the Olympic season, we could train there. Discussions are underway with several cities. A location in the South-West is one of the tracks.
What place will the Bordeaux skatepark hold in this system leading to the Place de la Concorde, where the skateboarding events will take place in the summer of 2024, namely the street and the park, the other name for the bowl? “It will act like a magnet,” thinks Jean-Sébastien Guèze, in charge of this type of infrastructure at the French Federation of Roller Skating and Skateboarding (FFRS).
Before the Olympic Games, it is possible that national selections include in their program a small circuit, roaming between the different sites of the country to train there, or even that some settle in Bordeaux. Knowing that the configuration of the Concorde skatepark, provisionally, should only be unveiled a few months before the Games, that of the Chartrons, like all those on the official list, will present “enormous sporting interest”.
“Very great sequences”
All in length, because of its location on the quays, it will make it possible to carry out “very large sequences, with five or six figures on a single line”, according to Jean-Sébastien Guèze, also a member of the staff of – 16 years old tricolors. This will be its specificity, its main attraction, with the decor of the banks of the Garonne. Street enthusiasts, mostly skateboard riders, will find what they are looking for, from the occasional practitioner to the elite, called upon to work on all of their technique, not just the most extreme difficulties. “In an Olympic-level skatepark, you reach jump heights to throw your figures which are completely dissuasive for the general public, compares Sébastien Sobczak. We are on twelve steps. In this regard, at the Quai des Chartrons, we will not be far off the mark. Rollerblades and scooters will have their place there. But for fans of the bowl, pronounced ramps or BMX freestyle, it will be necessary to find replica solutions, the future equipment not being specially designed for it.
The very principle of a skatepark is to be unique
“The very principle of a skatepark is to be unique,” emphasizes Stéphane Casteran, the general secretary of the FFRS. This body based in Bordeaux, which the municipality consulted before, a role of expertise all the more important as a financing plan for 500 skateparks has been launched by the government. Unlike football or basketball courts, all skate parks have their own dimensions, shape and arrangement of skateable elements. This is what gives them their charm, especially when they are of “national level”, as will be that of Bordeaux.
The cost of the construction
Work will begin on March 21. The concrete parts will be demolished. The large ramps as well as the two bowls will be recovered by the indoor skatepark in Darwin. The deconstruction phase will cost the City around 70,000 euros, the construction of the new equipment around 880,000 euros. The status of Games Preparation Center may entitle you to financial aid from the National Sports Agency (ANS). A file has been submitted by the town hall. One, or even several bowls, will be built on the right bank, in the Parc aux Angéliques. The exact location has yet to be decided.