K – KIMBERLEY DIAMOND CUP
The Kimberley Diamond Cup is a premier showcase for amateur and professional skateboarding. The Northern Cape Province hosted this international championship for the first time in 2011, originally known as the The Maloof Money Cup. It is a long term legacy project covering all aspects of child development and upliftment in the communities being initiated in the form of clinics, national roadshows and the establishment of skate parks on a national level. The Maloof Skateboarding Global Initiative was launched to promote skateboarding as a positive, active lifestyle for youth, contribute to education and build healthy communities. The Northern Cape Provincial Government supports the development of skateboarding as a sporting code and initiatives such as “Skateboarding for Hope” has been implemented to create awareness, identify talent and develop skills in this sport. The development program will include training initiatives by taking youngsters through a rigorous skateboarding training course to establish them as skateboard instructors, create clubs in the 27 municipalities in the Northern Cape and utilize their acquired skills to train up to 400 youths in the skills of skateboarding.
In 2019, The Kimberley Diamond Cup will once again play host to the Skateboarding World Championships, drawing the best skateboarders from around the world to compete for their share of one of the biggest prize purses in the global skateboarding arenas. Last year saw participants from international countries descend to the magnificent Kumba Skate Plaza in Kimberley to compete for the coveted championship title.
The Kimberley Diamond Cup programme will reach its grand culmination with the Kimberley Action Sports Festival from 5 to 7 December 2019, where skateboarders from around the world will vie to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.