Sharjah24 – AFP: Libyan Mohamed Abderraouf put a foot on his board and launched himself across Tripoli's first skatepark, a welcome break in the conflict-battered capital with few facilities for bored young people.
"I can't describe the joy," said the 18-year-old, who bought his first skateboard in 2020 and had only been able to practice on street corners -- until now. "I'm going to come a couple of times a week."
The free, open-air facility opened over the weekend in central Tripoli, to the delight of young skaters who spent the afternoon sweeping up and down the halfpipes and taking selfies with their friends.
"I'm really happy, because before there wasn't a dedicated place for skating," said Rayan al-Omar, 18, who has been skating for a year.
The United States-funded facility was built by Make Life Skate Life, a charity that has set up "free-of-charge, community-built concrete skateparks" in Iraq, Bolivia and India.
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