SHAPE at World Skate Rome 2026

The founder and president of Shape Skate Foundation, Imoh Ekasi-Otu recently returned from a trip to Italy for the official World Skateboarding Tour (WST) Olympic Qualifiers.Taking place in Rome, this was the first major stop on the official road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, and it was also the first time that a Nigerian skateboarder competed in the World Skateboarding Olympic Qualifiers.
Before the qualifiers even began, our community showed up in a massive way. We had the honor of sponsoring an incredibly talented Zambian skater, Mukuka Chande.
While Mukuka had the drive and the skill to compete on the world stage, financial hurdles threatened to keep him from making the trip. Through the SHAPE network, we launched a fundraising push to cover his remaining flight costs. Thanks to your generosity, we closed the gap, booked the ticket, and got Mukuka to Rome to compete, representing Zambia.
Unfortunately, skateboarding comes with heavy risks. On his very first day of practice, Mukuka suffered an injury during a tough slam. While it kept him from competing at his absolute highest level, his spirits remained incredibly high. He was deeply grateful just to stand on that course, absorb the experience, and—most importantly—take his first official step toward building up his global ranking for LA28. This is just the beginning for him.
While in Rome, Imoh spent invaluable time connecting with skaters and organizers from across the African continent. He had the privilege of getting to know team riders from Senegal, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, and Algeria, all of whom were also competing with hopes of dreams of making it to the LA28 Olympics.
Financial barriers, a lack of infrastructure and visa hurdles make it hard for talented African skateboarders to compete at the global level. Through SHAPE and our partners, we are working to provide direct mutual aid, flight sponsorships, and help gain backing from the international community to ensure African skaters hold a permanent place on the world stage.
While in Rome, we met directly with World Skate officials to map out concrete ways we can partner in the near future. We are incredibly excited to announce that we are in the early planning stages for youth initiatives in Dakar, Senegal ahead of the upcoming Youth Olympic Games!
By investing heavily in the youth infrastructure now, we are helping build a self-sustaining pipeline for the next generation of African champions.
Thank you to everyone who donated, shared our posts, and backed Mukuka.

Thank you to Kenji Haruta (@kenjiharuta) for the professional photos in the media gallery!