{"id":527227,"date":"2026-03-10T17:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T17:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/527227\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T17:19:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T17:19:14","slug":"vancouver-skateboarders-to-lose-crucial-skate-park-to-fifa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/527227\/","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver skateboarders to lose crucial skate park to FIFA"},"content":{"rendered":"

The countdown to the FIFA World Cup continues as the days keep ticking down, and it\u2019ll have a notable impact on Vancouver skateboarders and potentially the larger Canadian skateboarding community.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already learned about some of the impacts FIFA is going to have on the city, including affecting events like the Dragon Boat Festival<\/a> and even the B.C. justice system<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The City\u2019s FIFA Fan Festival plans will see the closure of Hastings Skate Park, a crucial spot for Vancouver skateboarders, preventing the community from accessing a key training ground, the only one like it in the city.<\/p>\n

Daily Hive spoke with members of the Vancouver Skateboarding Coalition (VSBC), Canada Skateboard, representatives of the City of Vancouver, and skateboarders to understand the nature and severity of this closure.<\/p>\n

\u201cHastings Skate Park is a very, very important and very unique skate park, not only in Vancouver, but also in the context of Canada, in terms of the depth of the transition, in terms of the size and in terms of the general scale of the skate park,\u201d said Oliver Tennant, VSBC director.<\/p>\n

Why the park is being closed and how the closure works
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Jarrod Au<\/p>\n

The official FIFA Fan Festival<\/a> will be held in Vancouver\u2019s Hastings Park. It includes a store, a neighbourhood-style village, and a vineyard, among other amenities like a family hub and performance stage.<\/p>\n

The red circled area of the map featured below is approximately where Hastings Skate Park is located, which will be occupied by The Vineyard.<\/p>\n

\"vancouver<\/p>\n

City of Vancouver | VSBC<\/p>\n

Tennant said the VSBC was informed that the skate park would close and that skateboarders could use another park.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would work if it were a typical medium-sized skate park in the city, of which there are many, but Hastings is not that. Hastings is incredibly, incredibly unique in terms of the level of skateboarding that can happen there,\u201d Tennant said, adding that it\u2019s about the legacy of the park as well.<\/p>\n

The VSBC first learned of the impact on the park from the FIFA committee directly.<\/p>\n

During a meeting with the committee, the VSBC attempted to negotiate something in exchange for the closure, like a fee that could go back to the community, or maybe allowing skateboarding for a limited number of hours. That negotiation went nowhere, and the committee told the VSBC its hands were tied.<\/p>\n

The VSBC asked the committee to come to its AGM, which the committee denied, sending its own invite to a public information session.<\/p>\n

Tennant said there was no real opportunity for feedback during this info session.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did quickly address the closing of the Hastings Skate Park. They had a short slide about it. They apologized and said it\u2019s because of quote, unquote, \u2018security reasons,\u2019 albeit many other areas of Hastings Park are remaining open, even with the security concerns, so that just raises our eyebrows around the legitimacy of that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The skateboarding community doesn\u2019t exactly know what FIFA means when it says the closure is due to security issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m disappointed in terms of the fact that the city couldn\u2019t find any kind of workaround,\u201d COPE Vancouver Councillor Sean Orr told Daily Hive.<\/p>\n

We asked Orr for the City\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to make excuses for staff. I also don\u2019t want to throw the staff under the bus. But it\u2019s a very small team that is working on this, but I think what it speaks to, also more, is how top-down FIFA is and how they operate,\u201d Orr replied.<\/p>\n

Orr brought up legacy projects that came out of the Olympics as some of the hopes he might\u2019ve had for this closure, but as of yet, it doesn\u2019t sound like anything concrete has been put forward.<\/p>\n

Like we\u2019ve seen in other<\/a>\u00a0communities during the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup in Vancouver, Tennant says the skateboarding community is disappointed with the lack of consultation.<\/p>\n

In response to our request for comment, the City of Vancouver said, \u201cLarge\u2011scale events of this nature require strict security protocols. Due to the skate park\u2019s location within the secure festival footprint, maintaining public access is not feasible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe skate park is situated in a high\u2011traffic area that during the World Cup event will be enclosed by security fencing and directly adjacent to the site\u2019s only zero\u2011grade accessibility entrance,\u201d it continued.<\/p>\n

The City added, \u201cKeeping it open during the event would require significant additional construction and security resources, and would introduce risks associated with unscreened access near the secure perimeter, including the possibility of prohibited items entering the festival area. Temporary closure is the safest option.\u201d<\/p>\n

The City said skateboarders could use the nearby Leeside Skate Park, but we asked Tennant what the closest equivalent skate park would be.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

How severely could this impact the community?
\n\"vancouver<\/p>\n

VSBC (Submitted)<\/p>\n

Daily Hive spoke to Michelle Pezel, the president of the VSBC and co-owner of Antisocial, about the situation.<\/p>\n

Pezel said when they first heard about the skate park situation back in January, no one believed it would actually be closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just didn\u2019t think that there would be a need to fully close the skate park,\u201d Pezel said, adding, \u201cSo when they had the meeting, I was actually in Japan, but they got together and met with the team, the FIFA team, and then they were like, wow, that was really different than we thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pezel quipped that she didn\u2019t realize the \u201cpower of FIFA,\u201d saying, \u201cI think they just get to do whatever they want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking to the lack of consultation, VSBC Secretary Stone Friesen said, \u201cWhen we were finally brought into the conversation, their minds had been made up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friesen also said that any suggestions he had for compromise were shut down.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Scott Kiborn | VSBC<\/p>\n

We also spoke to Adam Hopkins, a Canadian skateboarder who has performed on the world stage, and Adam Higgins, executive director at Canada Skateboard<\/a>, over the last week, about the Hastings Skate Park situation. They made time to talk about the closure despite being in Brazil.<\/p>\n

\u201cHastings has similar features that we see on the competition circuit,\u201d Higgins said, adding that while some of its features can be replicated in other parks, others can\u2019t, like the deeper walls.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the spot that they train and work at,\u201d Higgins said.<\/p>\n

Hopkins, a highly experienced skateboarder, said there are two main bowls in Canada for Olympic training, including a park in Montreal and Hastings Skate Park. He said there\u2019s another park in Kensington that features similar specifications, but that park isn\u2019t supportive of the aerials and technical tricks you\u2019d see in Olympic skating.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are at a huge disadvantage in Canada with progressive Park and bowl terrain like this, as it is so our skaters, the families, myself included, I spent months of my life over the years on Greyhound buses, living in a van, doing everything to get out of this country to go and train, and Hastings was the only place I had when I was competing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hopkins also said Hastings is his favourite skate park in the world. He said if it\u2019s a security issue, the community would be open to having bags checked or having security nearby.<\/p>\n

We asked Pezel if this reflects some of the stigma the skateboarding community has faced over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope not. I think it\u2019s more of an ego, FIFA, big money, Ken Sim\u2019s in love with them, whatever,\u201d she replied, adding that at this point in time, she hopes perceptions have changed as everyone skateboards.<\/p>\n

Zoe Zollinger<\/a> was also riding in the car with Higgins and Hopkins in Brazil, one of the top youth skateboarders in Canada, who is from B.C., and who is very upset about the closure this summer as she\u2019s training for Olympic qualifiers.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in Canada, especially on the island, I don\u2019t have any skate park like that,\u201d Zollinger said, adding that the closest place to go would be California, which isn\u2019t ideal considering the situation in the United States.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for the park?
\n\"vancouver<\/p>\n

VSBC (Submitted)<\/p>\n

The City\u2019s skate strategy identifies Hastings as one of the city\u2019s highest-use parks, in need of maintenance, and Friesen says a lot of that is done by the community itself, reflecting apparent neglect by the City that goes back further than the FIFA decision.<\/p>\n

We spoke to ABC Councillor Mike Klassen, as the VSBC has had positive interactions with him regarding potential improvements to Hastings Skate Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve long admired the skateboarding community and the fact that Vancouver is globally recognized for its strong skateboarding talent. Furthermore, the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition has done a very good job of advocating for the community,\u201d Klassen told Daily Hive.<\/p>\n

Klassen reiterated that the closure is to accommodate security requirements, acknowledging that the closure is frustrating, while speaking to what the future might hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cI noted that this space is listed as a high priority in the Park Board\u2019s own amenities strategy for renewal funding to refinish and repaint it. I\u2019ve begun discussions with staff at the City, Park Board and PNE to explore funding for this work in the City\u2019s upcoming capital plan. While it\u2019s early days, I\u2019m hopeful that we can find the needed dollars for this work,\u201d Klassen said.<\/p>\n

The VSBC is asking the community to get the word out by reaching out to the Vancouver Park Board, the PNE, the City, councillors and FIFA directly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just hoping that this kerfuffle brings about how important Hastings is to the skateboard community,\u2019 said Jeremy Nan, VSBC vice president.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, getting our voices out right now shows the City that this is an important space, and they will abide by the strategy that they\u2019ve made,\u201d Nan said.<\/p>\n

For now, the Vancouver skateboarding community will have to watch this crucial space become a vineyard for the FIFA World Cup this summer.<\/p>\n