In the heart of Rome, skaters now carve their lines within sight of the Colosseum. What once would have been unthinkable, is today a symbol of how urban sports are transforming cities. At the forefront of this movement stands World Skate, a global International Federation driving a youth-powered revolution that blurs the boundaries between sports, art and city planning.
We met Olivier Pascal, the events development director for World Skate, and he describes his work not as organizing sports events, but as shaping urban narratives. From Nanjing to Buenos Aires, from Shanghai to Tokyo, from Dubai to the Eternal City itself. World Skate brings wheel-based sports into the core of urban life. Their flagship event, the World Skate Games (WSG), serves as both a cultural showcase and a catalyst for rethinking public space.
Held every two years, the WSG has grown into a sprawling, multi-venue celebration of urban sports, youth culture and civic engagement. The 2024 edition in Italy was a spectacular testament to this mission: 12 sports, 22 world championships, over 10.800 athletes and staff from 90 countries and more than 350.000 spectators. Add to that 34 million online impressions, a global media reach and athletes with tens of millions of social media followers. The impact becomes impossible to ignore.
But the magic of WSG lies not just in its numbers. It lies in how it reimagines the city.
The event is designed around four clusters: Urban, Speed & Adrenaline, Team Sports and Artistic. Each cluster brings its own vibrancy. Skateboarding, inline freestyle, scootering, skatecross and roller freestyle dominate the Urban cluster, bringing color and movement to skateparks and temporary structures in the heart of cities. Other clusters add dynamism: downhill racing streaks through summer resorts, rink hockey revives indoor arenas and artistic skating adds elegance to a discipline often overlooked. Even esports are part of the mix, reflecting a commitment to inclusivity and digital relevance.
Crucially, World Skate doesn’t parachute in with a top-down model. Their events are co-created with local communities. Designs are adapted to the landscape. Legacy is not an afterthought, but a priority. In Nanjing, roller sports were added to the school curriculum after the Games. In Ostia, a long-neglected neighborhood in Rome, a skatepark built for the Games became a beacon of regeneration. And at Colle Oppio, the new skatepark facing the Colosseum has redefined Rome’s cultural iconography. Skaters are now part of the postcard.
The Games aren’t just competitions. They’re celebrations. Fan fests bring music, food, dance and art to the streets, uniting locals, visitors and athletes in a festival atmosphere. During the 2024 edition, 42 such events activated the host city. The opening ceremony, held at Piazza di Spagna in Rome, was a living example of how sport can become street theatre; part civic ritual, part youth uprising.
“Skaters are now part of the postcard.”
This synergy between sport and city is intentional. The urban cluster requires infrastructure (skateparks, vert ramps, freestyle tracks) but also thrives in temporary, movable environments. This makes it adaptable, modular and perfect for embedding into diverse urban contexts. It's no coincidence that the next edition in 2026 will be hosted in Paraguay, a nation that understands how public space can be both cultural heritage and urban playground.
What makes the World Skate Games particularly effective is their authenticity. Athletes are not just competitors; they are storytellers. With global figures, the Games gain massive online traction. Yet it’s also the local talent, often with smaller but highly engaged followings, who help embed the event into the soul of the city. Together, they create a word-of-mouth network more powerful than any traditional marketing campaign.
Looking ahead, Olivier Pascal emphasizes the importance of local adaptation. Northern and Southern European cities may differ in culture and infrastructure, but the potential for impact remains the same. The key lies in cooperation between city governments, local organizations and World Skate’s international expertise. The 2028 and 2030 editions of the Games are open for candidacy, offering a chance for more cities to reimagine themselves through urban sports.
In an age where civic identity is increasingly shaped by lifestyle, inclusion and vibrancy, urban sports offer cities a compelling tool. They activate unused spaces. They attract young people. They tell a story of energy, creativity and movement. And as the World Skate Games have shown, they can do all this while delivering world-class competition and unforgettable experiences.
Urban sports are no longer fringe. They are rewriting the city, one trick, one track, one transformed public space at a time.
Olivier Pascal events development director @ World Skate