Doha jumps into parkour

Parkour, the extreme sport also known as free-running, has piqued the interest of the citizens of Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Originating in France at the end of the 20th century and frequently featured in action films such as James Bond's ‘Casino Royale’, free-runners tear through urban spaces leaping and bounding over whatever stands in their way.

Parkour enthusiasts can be found jumping, vaulting and rolling around cities across the globe, but the sport has only now reached the Gulf States, where outdoor exercise has never before been popular.

With gyms shuttered by coronavirus and masks obligatory indoors, free-running is attracting the attention of some Doha residents, including South African Jaden Abrahams.

Abrahams: “No matter where you go in the world there is places where people will get mad, will tell you off and then there's places where you can just do it freely.”

However, not everyone in Doha welcomes free-runners, as Achref Bejaoui explains.

Bejaoui: "You know if you step on even the grass here, the security will ask you to leave, but I think now they get to know us because we keep coming here so they start feeling that we are playing safe, we are not doing anything wrong so I think it's getting famous, more and more."

Karam Chakachero, a recent convert to parkour, is keen to learn more.

Chakachero: "I did my first back flip and I was like, okay, that's it, but then when I learnt it on the ground I was like, this is so cool! I want to do more." View Less