Over 40 Countries to Vie for Skateboarding’s Most Prestigious Title

Historic Contingent of International Skaters Confirmed for 2015 Skateboarding World Championships in Kimberley, South Africa Oct. 7-10

Over 40 Countries to Vie for Skateboarding’s Most Prestigious Title

 (Kimberley, South Africa – October 5, 2015) – World Skateboarding Grand Prix today announced the roster for the 2015 Skateboarding World Championships at the Kimberley Diamond Cup – the official street skateboarding world championship as recognized by the World Skateboarding Federation. The best pro street and vert skaters from the U.S. will join the top skateboarders from around the world to battle it out in Kimberley, South Africa October 7-10 for their share of a $500,000 prize purse, the largest single event prize purse in skateboarding, and the title of world champion. An historic contingent of over 40 countries and 250 skaters will compete in women’s street, men’s street and vert disciplines.

Another first in the industry, this year’s winners of major international contests were invited to compete in the Skateboarding World Championships along with the top 50 ranked skaters in the world, according to the official ranking system by World Skateboarding Federation. The open qualifiers for the street championships, will be held on Friday, October 9.

Confirmed major contest winners vying for the Skateboarding World Championships titles include Dew Tour vert winner Jimmy Wilkins, Street League winners Kelvin Hoefler and Leticia Bufoni, X Games winners PLG (vert), Tyson Bowerbank (Boardr Am), Nyjah Huston (street) and Alexis Sablone (women’s street), Copenhagen Pro Tivoli winner Yoshi Tanenbaum, U.S. Skateboarding Championships Scotty Laird, Turkish Skateboarding Championships winner Adem Ustaoglu, Nike SB Open Berlin winner Aurelien Giraud from France, Mystic Cup winner Maxim Habanec of the Czech Republic, Canada’s Am Getting Paid winner JS Lapierre and Simple Session winner Russian Maxim Kruglov.

“We are the only contest to feature an open qualifier and to include skaters that truly represent the global skateboarding community,” said Tim McFerran, Founder of World Skateboarding Grand Prix. “We’ve reached out to 96 countries to send their top skaters to compete. By hosting a true world championship event with skaters from an unprecedented number of countries participating, we not only ensure that the competition lives up to its name, but that we are supporting these international skateboarders and helping to develop skateboarding in their countries by giving them a global platform.“

The World Skateboarding Federation is providing financial assistance to over 50 skaters this year to help them pay for travel expenses to South Africa.  WSF is committed to supporting skateboarders around the world and is leading the charge to organize skateboarding in advance of its potential inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

For the first time, skateboarding’s biggest contest of the year will include the African Continental Championships, a special championship to accommodate the 14 countries and 26 skateboarders competing from African countries. The African Continental Championships will feature women’s street, men’s street, the rider cup team championship and men’s vert.

“I’ve seen first-hand the tremendous impact skateboarding can have in the life of a child in need. By supporting youth development through the construction of skateparks, hosting skate clinics and providing free skateboards, we believe we can dramatically improve the lives of youth and inspire the next generation of skateboarders. What could be better than seeing a skateboarder from the small town of Kimberley, South Africa compete one day in the Olympic Games.”

The Skateboarding World Championships at the Kimberley Diamond Cup will be broadcast live in South Africa on SuperSport and distributed globally in 173 countries reaching over 600 million homes worldwide.

Street World Championships Roster

Women’s Street Championships Roster

Vert Championships Roster

2015 Skateboarding World Championships Events Schedule

Wednesday, October 7

African Continental Championships – women’s street (3 p.m. SAST*) and men’s vert (4 p.m. SAST)

Thursday, October 8

African Continental Championships – Rider Cup team qualifiers (1 p.m. SAST*)

Women’s Street Skateboarding World Championships (6:30 p.m. SAST*/9:30 a.m. PDT/12:30 p.m. EDT)

Friday, October 9

African Continental Championships – Rider Cup team finals (4:30 p.m. SAST*)

Street Skateboarding World Championships – open qualifier (1 p.m. SAST*)

Vert World Championships (7-8:30 p.m. SAST*/10-11:30 a.m. PDT/1-2:30 p.m. EDT)  LIVE WEBCAST

Saturday, October 10

African Continental Championships Street and Top Grom (12-2 p.m. SAST*)

Street World Championships – finals (7-9 p.m. SAST*/10 a.m.-12 p.m. PDT/1-3 p.m. EDT)  LIVE WEBCAST

*SAST is South Africa Standard Time. It is 9 hours ahead of Pacific Daylight Time and 6 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time.

About Kimberley Diamond Cup

The World Skateboarding Championships at the Kimberley Diamond Cup is a partnership between South Africa’s  Northern Cape Provincial Government, World Skateboarding Grand Prix and Kumba Iron Ore. Located 300 miles southwest of Johannesburg in the Northern Cape Province, Kimberley was the location of South Africa’s first diamond mine, thus its nickname, “The Diamond City.” For the latest news and information go to www.kimberleydiamondcup.com or follow KDC on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About World Skateboarding Grand Prix (WSGP)

World Skateboarding Grand Prix is an international skateboarding event management company. WSGP hosts world-class skateboarding events with a commitment to help stimulate local economies through tourism while supporting youth development, especially those in underserved or impoverished communities. For the latest news and information on the 2015 Skateboarding World Championships at the Kimberley Diamond Cup and other upcoming World Skateboarding Grand Prix events, visit www.WorldSkateboarding.com.

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