2nd March, 2026 - Mayor Ricardo Nunes welcomed World Skate President Sabatino Aracu to São Paulo this morning in a star-studded press conference called to discuss not just this weekend’s upcoming World Championships, but the future of skateboarding in Latin America’s most populous city.
In front of an audience including the city’s print and broadcast media as well as international skateboarding superstars Leticia Bufoni, Pedro Barros, Keegan Palmer and Yuto Horigome, Mayor Nunes pointed to the city’s 170 municipal skate spaces as he outlined what hosting a giant international event means both for the city’s aspirations and economy.
“São Paulo is the largest city in Latin America with a strong history of skateboarding, so hosting this Championship is a bold initiative which shows the positive visibility of our city” remarked Mayor Nunes.
President Aracu added “We believe São Paulo is the best place to hold a World Championship. Why? Because it is the most cosmopolitan city in the world- and a skateboarding capital. There is something here: we can feel the strength of Brazil in skateboarding.”
It is a sentiment which was echoed by Diogo Castelão of local partners STU, who spoke to the future thus:
“We all believe in the power of skateboarding- today, tomorrow and the day after; we hope this World Championships will be the first of many as São Paulo becomes a Mecca for skateboarding.”
A highlight of the conference was an impassioned speech by Vinicios Sardi, President of the Brazilian Paraskate Association, who discussed the inclusion of a Paraskate World Cup event within the weekend calendar: “Paraskate shows people with disabilities in a different light” he concluded, to sustained applause throughout the building from dignitaries and members of the press alike.
World Skate would like to thank the Mayor’s office and all the conference panellists who came together to launch what is set to be the biggest skateboarding event in Brazilian history this coming weekend.
