Mark Reilly, vice president, Global X Games, ESPN, Inc, said the competition, scheduled for July 20-22 in Barcelona, Spain, would gather more than 250 of Europe's leading action sports athletes to compete for prize money, medals, and a qualifying place in the upcoming 2001 X Games in Philadelphia in the United States on August 17-23.
For the past three years, adidas has sponsored the Asian X Games Qualifiers staged in Thailand.
Late last year, adidas also announced its sponsorship of the 2001 Latin American X Games Qualifier, scheduled to take place in Brazil this September.
"The continued support of an industry leader such as adidas underscores the importance of the X Games brand as a vehicle to reach the highly coveted action sports audience," said Reilly. "As we introduce the X Games into new markets like Europe and Latin America, this relationship will serve to increase awareness of both our brands."
The debut of the X Games Qualifier in Europe is a chief component of ESPN's plan for a major year-round global expansion of its X Games franchise.
Over the next 12 months, more than a dozen X Games-related events will be staged on five different continents, including X Games Qualifiers, Junior X Games, the Asian Xtour, the X Games, and the Winter X Games. In 2002, ESPN also plans to debut the X Games Global Challenge, a new event featuring regional teams of elite action sports athletes with both group and individual performances recognised with prize money and medals.
Sportswear manufacturer adidas will be the official footwear and apparel sponsor for the European X Games Qualifier, the European debut of ESPN's X Games franchise.
