Skateboarders from across Africa will be heading for Cape Town to take part in the second annual African Skateboarding Championships and the SA National Skateboarding Championships on Saturday February 25.
Previously held in Kimberley, the African continent’s biggest contest has moved to Cape Town as a result of the cancellation of the 2016 Kimberley Diamond Cup.
This skateboarding showdown will feature the top skateboarding talent from South Africa and eight other African countries as part of the Ultimate X action sport festival.
The contest will be hosted at the Grand Arena, GrandWest, with the action kicking off with the qualifying rounds for the continental contest from 10am to 11am.
South Africa’s hottest skaters will be in action during qualifiers from 12.10am with the finals happening at 7.10pm. The Best Trick contest takes place at 8.30am and is guaranteed to have the crowds on their feet.
In its ninth consecutive year running, Ultimate X will once again bring action sport junkies a host of showdowns as leading BMX and skate athletes contend for the biggest prize purse on African soil.
Tim McFerran, president of World Skateboarding Grand Prix (WSGP), said the organisation will continue to bring the best skateboarding contests to South Africa, despite the cancellation of the Kimberley Diamond Cup in 2016 due to the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism defaulting on its contract.
“We have invested too much in the development of skateboarding in this country to stop now. When we initially came to South Africa, skateboarding was still in its infancy and to date we have not only seen huge growth in this country, but also on the rest of the continent,” said McFerran.
WSGP have supported a further seven national championships across the continent as part of its ongoing commitment to develop skateboarding both in South Africa and the rest of Africa.
“We are excited to bring the African Skateboarding Championships and the South African National Skateboarding Championships to Cape Town for 2017 as these contests will provide the same great opportunities to underprivileged youth throughout South Africa and Africa as we have over the previous four years. We are looking forward to another great WSGP contest as part of UltimateX,” said McFerran.
All winners from 2016 Grand Slam events, Skateboarding for Hope events and wild card recipients are invited to compete in the SA National Championships, while skaters from countries such as Madagascar, Morocco, Sudan, Mauritius, Mozambique, Angola and Zambia will compete in the African Skate Championships.
Markus Museler, organiser of Ultimate X, said it is great to have a credible skate federation such as the World Skateboarding Federation as a presenting skate partner.
“With the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voting unanimously to include skateboarding in the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, this contest has the potential to become the platform for African skateboarding leading up to Tokyo. That is obviously very exciting for the development of the sport and establishing Ultimate X as a global skateboarding and action sports contest. The contest will include international skaters, as well as the African Skate Championships comprising more than nine African countries,” said Museler.
Ultimate X is divided into two shows: qualifiers at midday and finals in the evening. Tickets are available at Computicket and range from R120 to R230.
Food, full bar services and ample parking will be available on the day.
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