The very first World Urban Games, the ultimate urban sports festival was held in Budapest this past weekend, between 13-15 September with 300 competitors of 46 participating countries. The multi-sport event featured a wide range of programs from sports competitions, showcases and demonstrations integrated with music, dance and urban culture.
The first edition of World Urban Games, a multi-sport event, which will be held every two years, featuring a wide range of programs, including urban sports that will be part of the Tokyo 2020 and/or Paris 2024 Olympic programs, such as 3×3 basketball, BMX freestyle and breaking. According to the website of the Games, it “has the power to revitalize a whole area of Budapest and to create a legacy for extreme sports in Hungary and set a new way of organizing sport events by combining sports, music and culture into the fabric of the city.” What’s more, in addition to competitions for professional sportsmen, even amateurs could test their skills at a free ride location at the Great Market Hall area, the location of the event.
The Great Market Hall area at the Southern border of the city center with a huge industrial building, the Nagyvásárcsarnok (Great Market Hall) dates back to 1932. Back in the time, it was the biggest market hall in Hungary as well as the longest hall built without any columns. It had been fixed to reach the highest safety standards to serve as one of the competition venues of the first World Urban Games.
According to the organizers, among the domestic competitors the women’s 3×3 basketball team reached the best result who lost only to the silver-medalist French team in the quarter-finals of the competition which also served as the U23 Nations League finals.
We have collected some of the best pictures of the weekend below:
Czech Adela Markova in the women’s parkour qualifier at the first World Urban Games in Budapest. (photo: Zoltán Balogh/MTI)
American Hannah Roberts in the women’s bmx freestyle qualifier at the first World Urban Games in Budapest. (photo: Zoltán Balogh/MTI)
The Russian and Romanian national team in the women’s 3×3 basketball qualifier at the first World Urban Games in Budapest. (photo: Zoltán Balogh/MTI)
Japanese Juasa Ami in the women’s breakdance qualifier at the first World Urban Games in Budapest. (photo: Zoltán Balogh/MTI)
Five-time Extreme Sports Games winner Venezuelan Daniel Dhers in the men’s bmx freestyle qualifier at the first World Urban Games in Budapest. (photo: Zoltán Balogh/MTI)
Croatian Marin Ranates at the men’s bmx freestyle qualifier at the first World Urban Games in Budapest. (photo: Zoltán Balogh/MTI)
Women’s freestyle parkour qualifier at the first World Urban Games in Budapest. (photo: Zoltán Balogh/MTI)
Women’s freestyle parkour qualifier at the first World Urban Games in Budapest. (photo: Zoltán Balogh/MTI)
American Choi Grace (middle) and Japanese Nakari Ajane (left) in the women’s breakdance qualifier at the first World Urban Games in Budapest. (photo: Zoltán Balogh/MTI)