KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 -- At 8am on a Sunday morning, the Converse Skatepark in Kajang, Malaysia's oldest, built in 1994, is glistening with a post-rain sheen.

Former national skater Mariss Khan was already there, mop in hand, preparing the park not just for his three sons, but for anyone who wanted to ride.

"Yo bro, lemme get back to you ya? I got to change, I had to come and mop the floors cause it was raining last night," he quipped, running back to his home nearby.

By 9.30am, the park was slowly coming alive.

Among the early visitors were two families - first timers - each drawn here by something increasingly common: a renewed interest in skateboarding, powered by social media, nostalgia, and shifting cultural perceptions.

Putra N...