When was the last time you saw a skateboard track in Pune? If you are struggling for an answer, that tells you all about the state of this sport in the city - a sport that has even found a place in the Olympics. “Skateboarding is a relatively new sport in India and the skateboarding community is small but growing. We face several challenges, such as a lack of proper infrastructure, limited access to skateboarding equipment and low awareness of the sport,” says Swapnil Magar, 32, who has been associated with the Pune Skateboarding Association. Despite these challenges, there are several skateboarders, individuals and organisations working towards promoting and developing the sport. In Pune, skateboarders say, there was no spot dedicated to the sport initially, which left them with the only option of using roadside benches that were waxed to create hurdles. Swapnil, for instance, says he has been teaching the sport for 10 years on the side of JM Road and in private classes. Some of this changed in October 2021, when Dinkar Gojare, an executive engineer with the roads department of PMC, noticed skateboarders practising on the streets of JM Road and provided the association with a dedicated track on a footpath in Pashan. But skateboarders say this solution came with its own set of problems. “The track does not have adequate streetlights for visibility. It is mostly deserted and on the roadside, which makes it vulnerable to accidents. Also, the track is on an incline. It is a downhill course, which is not favorable to the sport as we need an even platform,” says a skateboarder. Last year, the Illesium Club in Bavdhan came up with a skateboarding facility, which now has students in the age-group range of 4-44. “Skateboarding needs more recognition from the government so that tracks can be developed and existing ones managed. A separate government park has also been proposed by the association in areas like Balewadi and Swargate,” says Swapnil, whose students include Shraddha Gaikwad, the teenager who won gold at the National Games in Gujarat. Deaguk Bae, a South Korean by origin, has been closely related to skateboarding for 24 years and is now a coach at the Bavdhan facility. “All my life I have been skateboarding and want more people to know about the sport. It's not an indoor sport and people need to know more about it for which its presence is very important. A few years ago, a facility was made under the smart city project in Pimpri, but because of poor maintenance it is not of much use,” he says.
