Paris (AFP)

A year from the Tokyo Games where skateboarding will make its debut in the Olympic family, some of the best riders in the world inaugurate on Friday and Saturday a brand new bowl in Chelles (Seine-et-Marne), during a stage of a pro circuit.

In compliance with the Olympic criteria, the bowl of Paris / Chelles is the first infrastructure of this scale created in Ile-de-France to integrate the private circuit Vans Park Series, which has financially supported the project alongside the communities (region, CNDS, municipality).

Chelles hosts the fourth and final stage of the pro circuit, after Shanghai (China), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Montreal (Canada), closing the qualifiers for the grand finale, September 6 and 7 in Salt Lake City (USA) ). Only the top 5 boys and girls in the overall standings will be able to win a ticket to Salt Lake.

Brazilians Pedro Barros and Yndiara Asp and American Tom Schaar will be on the front row, all commented by skateboard legend Tony Hawk.

"It's a first for Chelles, it's cool that it's happening in France, we have a real bowl worthy of a Vans Park Series", rejoices with AFP the French Vincent Matheron, who points to the 3rd place overall, and one of the best French in the running for the Olympics 2020.

Matheron is a bowl pro, one of two events with the 'street' at the Olympics. The two take place in a separate park: the street offers a route on obstacles inspired by street furniture when the bowl (called 'field park' at the Olympics) is to send figures by propelling themselves on rounded curves.

The bowl of Chelles, an outdoor structure, is an integral part of the Cosanostra skateboard club, born 20 years ago and which receives between 10,000 and 12,000 practitioners a year for 170 members of the club.

© 2019 AFP