SHANGHAI -- The just-concluded FISE World Series Shanghai held from Thursday to Sunday in the eastern Chinese metropolis featured a new design of skatepark, helping the over 700 athletes from across the world compete more freely.  

This year's six major competition events included BMX (Bike Motocross) freestyle, aggressive inline skating, scootering, skateboarding, breaking, and the newly added sport climbing.
"There are more international athletes this year and their professional levels have been improving. I will be more trilled and more excited to compete against them," said Liu Haoran, a Chinese BMX Freestyle athlete.
Some international athletes said they are happy to see increasing popularity of extreme sports among Chinese.  
"It's awesome to see the progression level of the sport in the last couple of years. It's awesome for me to see, and I'd like to see the progression of the sport, and one of my favorite things about coming to China is just to see the new level and the next generation," said Hannah Roberts, a USA BMX Freestyle athlete. 
The designer of the event's skateparks said he put special thoughts on designing the shapes and the angles of the skateparks to help athletes unlock their potential and provide better view for the audience.
"I look forward to creating something different every year and this year we've chosen a more modern style to better cater to the younger generation. For instance, we've added a wave-shaped surface onto the skatepark, which we can't do in France, to maintain freedom in maneuverability for each event," said Pascal Morasse-Raymond, skatepark designer at the FISE World Series Shanghai.