Larnaca municipal skate park will officially open its doors to the public on Thursday, following a long-standing request from the residents, the municipality said Wednesday.

“Several young people in the city are involved in skateboarding,” the municipality said, explaining those were practising their hobby in high-traffic streets, exposed to dangers, due to the lack of properly designed space.

It added skateboarding has been included in the Olympics as of this year.

Larnaca, “as an innovative municipality” promotes both traditional and new sports. The aim was to create an “exemplary quality public space for sports and recreation in relation to the needs of the residents,” their announcement said.

Following the completion of works, the municipal skate park and skate roller park will be inaugurated at 6pm on Thursday. The skate park is located behind the parking lot at the Tassos Mitsopoulos Avenue next to the municipal dog park.

It includes appropriate infrastructure with special ramps which allow users to practice in a safe space without disturbance or danger, the municipality said.

The construction of the skate park was co-funded by the Cyprus Sports Organisation within the framework of the grant scheme for the creation, upgrading or improvement of sports facilities for the purpose of promoting and developing sports in municipalities, communities etc, that relate to projects of competitive and social – mass sports.