X-Games Gold Medalist Bucky Lasek shows how he pulls off the trick no one else in the world has landed.

Asia’s Premiere Action Sports Event Celebrates 11^th Anniversary

The city of Shanghai will once again host KIA X Games Asia, Asia’s premiere action sports competition, as it returns to China for the third consecutive year — celebrating 11 years of Asian X Games events.

This year the event will showcase more than 200 of the best action sports athletes from more than 20 countries and five continents in world-class competition in the sports of Skateboard, BMX, In-Line Skate and Sport Climbing. New to the Asian X Games, this year’s event will also feature a Moto X Big Air demonstration. Televised live from Shanghai’s KIC Jiangwan Stadium, X Games Asia will air May 1 – May 3 on ESPN Asia networks and will be organized by sports broadcaster ESPN STAR Sports along with the Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Sports Federation. The event will also be shown on ESPN International networks in Latin America, Australia, Middle East and Africa.

“We are thrilled to be back in China, and look forward to delivering another exhilarating event to action sports fans in Shanghai,” said Rick Alessandri, senior vice president, X Games Franchise. “We are excited to work closely with KIA Motors to continue this tradition of bringing world-class action sports competition to China.”

This year, competitors can look forward to an increase in prize money for the event, and Skateboard, BMX, and In-Line participants for the street discipline can also expect a new course design that will resemble real street conditions.

The KIA X Games Asia has earned a strong global reputation with a significant increase in awareness about action sports in the region. Last year’s event was enthusiastically received by the Shanghai community and broke attendance records with more than 52,800 people passing through the gates of Yangpu district’s KIC Jiangwan Sports Center – an increase of more than 55% from 2007.

The Games are bolstered by the addition of a new Silver Sponsor in Mountain Dew and the elevation of Apparel sponsor Pony to the Silver category. New brands like Doritos and Cold Stone have also picked up sponsorship packages. And ESPN has entered in to a collaboration with licensing agent IMG for the launch of an X Games consumer products line planned for later this year in China.

Leading up to this year’s event, KIA X Games Asia 2009 kicked off with a three-city, eight-stop roadshow tour in December and will finish at Shanghai’s Wanda Shopping Mall April 25-26. The roadshows include demos in BMX freestyle and In-Line skate, musical performances, entertainment acts, prize giveaways and an interactive mini-skate park for spectators to test their skills.

Event Partners

The event is proudly sanctioned by the Chinese Extreme Sports Association and is organized by ESPN STAR Sports, the Shanghai Media Group and the Shanghai Sports Federation. The Shanghai Yang Pu District Government is the event’s Special Organizer and the Shanghai Sports Competition Management Centre is the co-organizer while the Shanghai Extreme Sports Association is the supporting organizer. The KIC Jiangwan Sports Center is the official venue.

About ESPN’s X Games Franchise

ESPN held its first X Games in 1995. ESPN’s Global X Events and Development group is responsible for creating the company’s action sports programming currently airing on ESPN, ESPN2 and across its various international networks.   In addition to the two U.S.-based X-branded events – X Games, and Winter X Games, ESPN has held X Games competitions and demonstration events around the world, including Dubai, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Malaysia, China and Spain.  The global X franchise has also expanded its reach to ESPN.com/Action, the definitive site for action sports fans, and to consumer products such as X Games bikes, protective gear, skateboards and DVDs.

Details and a list of scheduled athletes for KIA X Games Asia 2008 will be forthcoming on www.kiaxgamesasia.com for the public and www.espneventmedia.com for media.

ESPN MEDIA CONTACTS:

Alex Rozis alex.a.rozis@espn.com 310-642-1533

Katie Moses Swope katie.moses@espn.com 310-642-1507

LOS ANGELES (October 27, 2008)—The LG Action Sports World Championships (LG World Championships) is excited to announce that a line-up of the 2008 season’s most elite action sports athletes is confirmed to compete in Seattle for the most prestigious title of the year. From October 31 – November 2 at Seattle’s KeyArena 150 of the world’s best pros in Skateboard, BMX, and Inline Skating will vie for their share of the $600,000 purse and title of LG Action Sports World Champion.

The defending LG Action Sports World Champion in Skateboard Vert, Pierre-Luc Gagnon (Montreal, Canada), has claimed all the most notable titles this season (the Maloof Money Cup, the X Games and the Mountain Dew Cup) and plans to top it off with the 2008 LG World Championship title. However, he’ll have to overcome challenges from Bucky Lasek (Baltimore, Maryland), 17 year-old sensation Alex Perelson (San Diego, Calif.), Bob Burnquist (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and San Diego’s Andy MacDonald to name just a few. Skateboard Vert prelims take place on Saturday afternoon, with the finals on Sunday.

BMX Vert will feature a tough competition as all the competitors chase the top man of the last four years, 37 year-old Jamie Bestwick (Nottingham, England). Bestwick will be going for his fifth consecutive LG World Championships. Challenging him during the Saturday evening final will be a talented group of bikers including Simon Tabron (Newquay, England), Chad Kagy (Gilroy, Calif.), Jimmy Walker (Chicago, Illinois), Melbourne, Australia’s Steven McCann, and Paso Robles, California’s John Parker.

Rodolfo Ramos of Cascavel-Pavel, Brazil returns to the LG World Championships hoping to repeat his 2007 performance as the Skateboard Street champion. He’ll face a strong field of street skaters, including Paul Rodriguez (Chatsworth, Calif.), Greg Lutzka (Milwaukee, Wis.), Danilo do Rosario (Curitiba), and Austen Seaholm (Anaheim, Calif.). Prelims and finals take place on Sunday afternoon. Daniel Dhers (Caracas, Venezuela), Craig Mast (Warren, Ohio), Rob Darden (Greenville, SC), Ryan Guettler (Queensland, Australia), and Garrett Reynolds (Toms River, New Jersey), top the list of BMX Street competitors looking to dethrone the 2007 world champion Morgan Wade of Tyler, Texas. The BMX Street action begins on Friday, with the finals following on Saturday afternoon. The Inline Skating world will be represented by the superstar pros in both Vert and Street, as well as in Women’s Street.

A complete roster of athletes for each contest can be found on the event web site at www.lgactionsports.com.

Tickets for the LG Action Sports World Championships include daily concerts by The Game (Friday evening), MxPx (Saturday afternoon), Pennywise (Saturday night) and Hoobastank (Sunday afternoon), and sponsor village activities. Tickets can be purchased at the KeyArena Box Office, via Ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 206 628 0123 to charge them by phone. Three-day reserved seats packages are also available at discounted rates through www.ticketmaster.com or at the KeyArena Box Office.