For the first time in Dubai, athletes will compete for medals and prize money. BMX and Skateboard competitions will be held on the vert ramp and street course, while Moto X Best Trick and Step Up competitions will take place on a separate course. Last year's event drew more than 27,000 action sports enthusiasts, and city officials and ESPN look forward to welcoming another huge crowd this year. This year's event will be free and open to the public.
Together with presenting sponsor, PepsiCo's Mountain Dew brand, the event will also be supported by official car partner Dodge, Playstation and Dubai Festival City.
"Dubai has been an incredible host city the last two years," said Rick Alessandri, Senior Vice President, ESPN Consumer Products and X Games Managing Director. "We are excited about expanding to a full competition this year and look forward to continuing to grow the X Games franchise in the UAE."
Athletes scheduled to appear are BMX stars Simon Tabron (GBR) and Van Homan (USA), X Games Skateboard medalist Mathias Ringstrom (SWE), X Games Moto X gold medalist Chuck Carothers (USA), Alex Medvedev (GER), Abrahim Wadhi (UAE), and many more.
"In keeping with Mountain Dew's image that reflects the dedication and fitness required for action sports, PepsiCo International's continued partnership with ESPN is one that truly expresses the essence of the sport," said Ken Newell, Vice President, PepsiCo Beverages International. "We are looking forward to another successful Dubai X Games in December 2007 and bringing the X Games experience to our consumers across the Middle East."
Orbit ESPN, ESPN's affiliate in the region, will carry the best action from Dubai and other X Games events, across the Middle East and North Africa. Additional coverage will be found on a number of other broadcasters in the region. Across Europe, X Games Dubai will be seen on Eurosport, Extreme Channel and a number of other broadcasters such as Five UK, Sport+ France and Sky Italia. In addition, ESPN will deliver the event across its international networks and platforms.