X GAMES QUALIFIER RETURNS TO BARCELONA
After a highly successful debut last year, the European X Games Qualifier (EXQ) will return to Barcelona, Spain gathering more than 250 of Europe's leading action sports athletes competing in Bicycle Stunt, Skateboard and Aggressive In-line Skating. Up for grabs is prize money, medals and a spot to the invitation-only X Games VIII to be held in Philadelphia, USA, August 15-19, 2002.
For the 2001 EXQ, more than 37,000 spectators came out to Barcelona's Olympic Pier to show their enthusiasm and support for the expansion of action sports to their community. The three-day event welcomes invited athletes from more than 20 European countries including Spain, France, Germany and the United Kingdom to test their skills in three sports and seven disciplines. Like last year, the event will offer free admission to the public.
"Our return to Barcelona is an indication of the continued growth of our International X Games events and our European X Games Qualifier in particular," said Mark Reilly, ESPN's Vice President & General Manager, International Sales and Event Management. "We plan to build upon the success of last year's event and make the X Games more accessible to European athletes and fans than ever before."
As part of the global expansion of the X Games franchise, within the last 12 months ESPN has staged more than a dozen X Games-related events around the world, including the Asian X Games Qualifier in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in February and most recently, the first-ever Latin American X Games Qualifier (LXQ), which was staged in Rio de Janeiro in late March.
In 2003, ESPN also plans to debut the X Games Global Championship, a new event featuring regional teams of elite action sports athletes with both group and individual performances recognized with prize money and medals. ESPN will organize and televise the X Games Global Championship, which will feature two distinct venues hosting competitions in summer and winter action sports simultaneously. Six teams of the world's top athletes will be grouped together by their region of origin to compete in the four-day event, May 15-18, 2003.
ESPN International and Barcelona officials will announce specific competition schedules for the EXQ at a later date.
ESPN2 and ESPN International network affiliates will televise more than a total of 100 hours of programming including original, re-airs and encore presentations distributed globally. Local Spanish TV, Pan European TV, and terrestrial broadcasters will also provide additional coverage of the EXQ. Telecast dates and channels will be forthcoming.
For further information, including event and sport histories, schedules and athlete bios, log onto www.expn.com.