LOS ANGELES, CA—(Marketwired – May 25, 2016) –
World Skateboarding Grand Prix (WSGP) announced today the Skateboarding World Championships will return to Kimberley, South Africa October 3–8. Sanctioned by the World Skateboarding Federation, a governing body for skateboarding, this year's championships are expected to draw 300 of the best skateboarders from 60 countries. Last year's winners, Nyjah Huston (street), Alexis Sablone (women's street) and Jimmy Wilkins (vert) shared the $500,000 prize purse, the largest in competitive skateboarding.
This year's Skateboarding World Championships take on special significance as skateboarding is one of the new sports proposed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Should skateboarding be officially accepted by the International Olympic Committee as a new discipline, contests like the Skateboarding World Championships will likely become qualifying events. This year, the Skateboarding World Championships are once again expected to draw the largest international field of skateboarders competing in a single contest, with skaters from at least 60 countries anticipated to compete in three world championship events: Women's Street Championships, Vert Championships, and Men's Street Championships.
The Skateboarding World Championships use an open contest format, which includes a qualifying contest. World Skateboarding Grand Prix extends invitations to the top finishers of notable international contests including the Mystic Cup, Copenhagen Pro, the Turkish Skateboarding Championships, Polish Skateboarding Championships, South African Championships, Germany National Championships, Mauritius Islands Championships, Far'n High, Bryggeriet Malmo, Simple Session, Am Getting Paid and others around the world. Top finishers from the private contests in the U.S., including X Games, Dew Tour, and Street League will also earn spots in the Skateboarding World Championships.
The 2016 Skateboarding World Championships will be held during the annual Kimberley Diamond Cup presented by Kumba Iron Ore. The KDC event features the South African Street and Vert Championships, the African Continental Championships in both street and vert and the Rider Cup Team Championships. In addition, the Kimberley Diamond Cup will also feature a free Festival Village with live music and dozens of local food and craft vendors as well as a Freestyle Motocross Exhibition. All of the skate contests are held at the permanent, state–of–the–art Kumba Skate Plaza that was built specifically to host the contests and subsequently donated to the community. The Plaza saw more than 100,000 visitors in 2015, not including the over 20,000 who attended last year's Kimberley Diamond Cup and Skateboarding World Championship events.
The World Skateboarding Federation (WSF) has sanctioned the World Skateboarding Championships and will provide financial assistance to help pay for travel expenses for skaters in countries without brand, government, corporate or federation support.
“This is an exciting year for the Skateboarding World Championships,” said WSGP CEO Tim McFerran, “WSGP has been hosting the skateboarding world championships since 2011 and with the possibility of skateboarding in the Olympics, the transparency of how the skateboarders are picked, our format, openness and unprecedented global representation caught the eye of the IOC and is one of the reasons why skateboarding is being considered for 2020. We are proud to have more countries represented than any other contest in skateboarding's history and we expect to exceed 60 countries this year, with more than 300 skaters competing for their shot at the title. There are many talented skateboarders who have been kept out of some of the private, U.S. contests for reasons other than their talent and skill on the skateboard. I think sometimes these event organizers think they have to have all skaters from Southern California to draw a TV audience. That's simply not the case; skateboarding is global and the biggest audiences for skateboarding have been outside of the U.S. for years. We are proud to provide a platform for these skaters, guys like Tommy Fynn and Moses Adams and Kelvin Hoefler. Having an open contest format is crucial to the future of skateboarding. We're proud to provide this platform for skateboarders and will continue pushing other contests to open up and let the best compete against the best.”
For more information on the Skateboarding World Championships at the Kimberley Diamond Cup visit www.worldskateboardinginternational.com and www.kimberleydiamondcup.com. For information on the World Skateboarding Federation visit www.worldskateboardingfederation.org.
About World Skateboarding Grand Prix (WSGP)
World Skateboarding Grand Prix is the global leader in skateboarding event management. WSGP hosts world–class skateboarding events globally with a commitment to help stimulate local economies through tourism and support youth development, especially those in underserved or impoverished communities. For the latest news and information on the 2016 Skateboarding World Championships at the Kimberley Diamond Cup as well as other upcoming World Skateboarding Grand Prix events, visit www.worldskateboarding.com or check out our corporate site at www.worldskateboardinginternational.com.
About World Skateboarding Federation (WSF)
World Skateboarding Federation, a governing body for skateboarding, is the leader in providing skateboarders around the world with funds to help pay for travel expenses to attend international contests. WSF actively donates skateboards to youth in poverty stricken areas and supports worthwhile skateboarding organizations like Skateistan in South Africa. WSF is currently working with a number of countries, providing leadership and expertise, to help them form national federations. The mission of the World Skateboarding Federation is to promote skateboarding around the world; to grow and connect relevant skateboarders, organizations, brands and manufacturers for the further expansion of skateboarding; to assist in building quality skate parks; to provide financial assistance to top skateboarders to attend international skateboarding contests; to create a centralized judging and scoring system; and to provide a platform to create national, regional and local contests. World Skateboarding Federation is a USA incorporated nonprofit 501–c–3 organization. For more information visit www.worldskateboardingfederation.org.
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