ESPN Asian XTour hits Manila

ESPN’s X Games, Asia’s most prestigious action sports competition, makes its Manila debut starting tomorrow when the Asian XTour Manila fires off at the Goldcrest Parking Center at the Glorietta Mall in Makati.

Open to all Filipino action sports athletes and enthusiasts, the two-day event features competitions in skateboarding, bicycle stunt and aggressive in-line skating with the winners in two divisions (Junior X and Main X) gaining berths in the Asian X Games Qualifier IV presented by Toyota and slated in January 2002 in Malaysia.

"The Asian XTour and the Asian X Games Qualifier are the ultimate challenges in action sports because these are the only competitions which will qualify the athletes to ESPN’s X Games in the USA," said Mark Reilly, vice president of Global X Games.

The 2002 Summer X Games, which offers a total cash prize of $100,000, will be held Aug. 12-25 in Philadelphia.

Eligible to participate in the Junior X division are those 14 years old or under as of March 1, 2001 while the Main X category is an open competition. Registration, which starts at 11 a.m. today, is free. Practice rounds will begin at 12 noon. All athletes must bring personal identification as proof of age.

The Manila event, sponsored by Toyota and supported by Toshiba and Polaroid, serves as the fifth leg of a six-stage Asian XTour.

ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, will televise the Asian events to more than 140 countries and territories around the globe.