Skateboarding is an action sport that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. Originating in the United States, skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2009 report found that the skateboarding market is worth an estimated $4.8 billion in annual revenue, with 11.08 million active skateboarders in the world. In 2016, it was announced that skateboarding would be represented at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, for both male and female teams.
Anthony Frank Hawk, nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documented "900" skateboarding trick in 1999. He also licensed a skateboarding video game series named after him, published by Activision that same year. Hawk retired from competing professionally in 2003 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential skateboarders of all time.
A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, quarter pipes, ledges, spine transfers, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs, and any number of other objects.
Rune Glifberg, nicknamed "The Danish Destroyer", is a Danish professional skateboarder. He is one of three skaters to have competed at every X Games. He has a total of 12 X Games medals. At 46, he became the oldest skateboarder to ever compete in the Olympic Games and the first male skateboarder to ever compete in a park event in the Olympic Games when he represented Denmark in the men's park event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Joey "Jett" Hornish is a professional skateboarder. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Mike Vallely named Jett professional in 2017. Jett also started Jett brand clothing in 2019.
VIBGYOR Group of Schools is a chain of schools, the first of which was established in 2004 in Goregaon, Mumbai, India. Under the leadership of Rustom Kerawalla, Founder Chairman of the Institution, the VIBGYOR Group has opened 40 schools in fourteen major cities.
Skateistan is a non-profit organization that uses skateboarding and education to empower children. Over 2,500 children, aged 5–17, attend Skateistan's programs in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. 50% of students are girls. Through their innovative programs, Outreach, Skate and Create, Back-to-School, Dropping In and Youth Leadership, Skateistan aims to give children the opportunity to become leaders for a better world. Skateistan has Skate Schools in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and Johannesburg, South Africa. The international headquarters is in Berlin, Germany.
Ulrike Reinhard is a German publisher, author, digital nomad and futurist. She is best known for her skatepark in Madhya Pradesh, Janwaar Castle. Reinhard has also been editor of WE Magazine and has written for Think Quarterly. All her work is related to network theory with the Internet at its core, focusing on interactions and the co-creation processes within a network. Her artwork explores objects both 'emerging' and 'falling into place'.
Kedar Mahadev Jadhav is an Indian former cricketer who played for the India national cricket team. He played for Maharashtra in domestic cricket. He was a right hand batter, who occasionally kept wickets and bowled right-arm-offspin.
Syed Mohammed Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa, known as Yasin Bhatkal, is a convicted Indian Islamist terrorist, who was the co-founder and leader of the proscribed terrorist organisation Indian Mujahideen (IM). Yasin along with Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, among others, founded the terrorist organisation around 2005. The jihadist group has carried out several attacks against civilian targets in India and Yasin was notably personally involved in the 2010 Pune bombing, 2010 Bangalore stadium bombing, 2011 Mumbai bombings, 2012 Pune bombings and the 2013 Hyderabad blasts.
Sudha Varghese, also known as Sister Sudha, is a former religious sister and social worker in India who has devoted herself to the Musahar, the Dalit of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, one of the Scheduled Castes and who are considered the "untouchables". She resides and works in Jamsaut, a village in Patna district. She is sometimes called didi, which means "elder sister".
Sijoy Varghese is an Indian actor and advertising filmmaker. He has been involved in advertising and cinema for 20 years. As an actor he has portrayed characters in Malayalam films including Bangalore Days, Avatharam, James & Alice, Aadhi and Ittymaani: Made in China.
Manjari Makijany is an Indian writer, director and producer who works on American and Hindi films. She is best known for her award-winning short films, The Last Marble (2012) and The Corner Table (2014).
Ruturaj Dasharath Gaikwad is an Indian international cricketer who captains the Maharashtra cricket team in the T20, List A format and the current captain of Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He made his international debut for the India cricket team in July 2021 against Sri Lanka. He was the captain of the India squad which won the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games. He was the leading run-scorer in the 2021 IPL season and also won emerging player of the season. He is captain of the Maharashtra team in T20 and List A cricket. He is the only Indian player to score a century against the Australian international team in T20Is.
Skater Girl is a 2021 coming-of-age sports drama film directed by Manjari Makijany. The cast includes newcomers Rachel Sanchita Gupta and Shafin Patel, and also stars Amrit Maghera, Jonathan Readwin and Waheeda Rehman. It was written by Manjari and Vinati Makijany, who co-produced the film through their Indian production company Mac Productions. It was released on 11 June 2021 by Netflix.
Cindy Whitehead is an American professional skateboarder and activist. A pioneer of vertical skateboarding, she was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2016. She is married to photographer Ian R. Logan.
The 2021 Indian Premier League was the fourteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007.
Asha Gond is an Indian skateboarder from Madhya Pradesh. She represented India in the 2018 World Skateboarding Championship and leads a non-profit organisation, Barefoot Skateboarders. The 2021 Netflix film, Skater Girl, is believed to be based on her life.
Desert Dolphin Skatepark was constructed as a part of the Netflix original film Skater Girl and is now a free public skatepark located in Khempur, Rajasthan. It is one of India's largest skate parks.
