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WORLD’S PRO SKATERS COMING TO KIMBERLEY

Skateboarders from Africa and the world are about to descend on the Northern Cape for the continent’s biggest and richest skateboarding event – the Kimberley Diamond Cup Skateboarding World Championships.

Presented by Kumba Iron Ore and with a prize purse of more than R5-million, it’s little wonder this year’s event has attracted some of the top-ranked pro street skaters in the world, among them Brazil’s Luan Oliveira and Kelvin Hoefler, as well as the USA’s Nyjah Huston.

Also showcasing their skills on this world stage, and with their eyes firmly on the prize money, are skaters from 10 African countries – including Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Egypt and Senegal – prompting organisers to add another category to the four-day battle of skills.

“We want to include African skateboarders in this mega-event, hence the addition of the African Street Championship category, which will allow the top two skateboarders from Africa to qualify for the world championship contest and go up against the world’s best,” says Tim McFerran of the World Skateboarding Grand Prix (WSGP).

WSGP hosts world-class skateboarding events globally with a commitment to help stimulate local economies through tourism and support youth development, especially those in underserved or impoverished communities, through skate clinics, demos and pro tours.

The African Street Championships are scheduled for Thursday 8 October at 3pm, with the top two from this category going head-to-head with some of the world’s best in the finals, on Saturday 10 October.

John Block, the provincial minister of economic development, says the event not only presents the opportunity to include skaters from neighbouring countries, but also creates a great opportunity to promote tourism to the Northern Cape and Kimberley.

The Northern Cape has a variety of unforgettable attractions, including the Kalahari Desert and the Sandveld along the barren West Coast (both great for sandboarding and dune adventures), the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Augrabies Falls National Park, the Diamond Coast and, of course, Kimberley, South Africa’s Diamond City and host for this year’s mega skating event.

Tickets are already on sale and accommodation is booking out fast, so get online and make sure you don’t miss out.

Some useful links:

www.kimberleydiamondcup.com

www.computicket .com

http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/articles/entry/article-southafrica.net-kimberley

http://www.kalahari-tours.co.za/Northern%20Cape.htm