The event, which will take place at Huamak Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, will feature demonstrations by several former and current X Games champions, including aggressive inline skaters the Yasutoko Brothers from Japan and Fabiola da Silva from Brazil; BMX riders Mat Hoffman, Jamie Bestwick, and Kevin Robinson; and skateboarders Bob Burnquist and Sandro Diaz, among others.
To help raise awareness of the devastation caused by the tsunami and to support relief efforts in Thailand, ESPN Inc., ESPN STAR Sports, and the athletes are joining together to donate a portion of the proceeds from the event. All contributions, including a portion of the athletes’ appearance fees, will go towards the Rajaprajanugroh Foundation, which comes under the patronage of Thailand’s Royal Family. The Foundation’s beneficiaries include children who were orphaned in the wake of the tsunami tragedy.
“The government and people of Thailand have long been supporters of the X Games,” said Russell Wolff, Managing Director, ESPN International. “We launched our International X Games franchise in Thailand in 1998 with the debut of the Asian X Games and we staged two successful follow-up events there. The Thailand X Games Cup is a great opportunity to bring the X Games back to Thailand while also supporting the tsunami relief effort and giving back to the community.”
Added Rik Dovey, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports: “ESPN STAR Sports is committed to showcasing the beauty of Thailand to the rest of the world. As such, we have dedicated a large television production team on the ground to producing the Thailand X Games Cup and televising it to millions of homes across Asia.”
Said Santichai Euachongprasit, Deputy Governor for Tourism Products, Tourism Authority of Thailand: “We are honoured that ESPN has chosen to work with us in making this event possible in Thailand. ESPN’s involvement lends prestige to an event that has gained worldwide popularity. We look forward to treating Thai action sports fans to one of the most thrilling and entertaining events ever staged in Bangkok.”
In addition to the planned demos, Thailand’s top 12 athletes from bicycle stunt park, aggressive inline, skateboarding park, and wakeboarding will compete in the National Thai qualifier held at the event. The top finisher in each discipline will receive an invitation to compete in the Asian X Games 2005 presented by KIA in Seoul, South Korea from May 26 – 29.
The Thailand X Games Cup 2005 enjoys high-level sponsorship and organizational support from official host Tourism Authority of Thailand; Powered by True and Orange; Official Mobile Handset, Motorola; Official Automobile, KIA Motors, and Official Television platform UBC. Additional support comes from Siam Motor Sport and Sport Radio.
X Games is promoted and organized in Asia by ESPN International with the co-operation of ESPN STAR Sports.
