A free event featuring basketball, skateboarding, BMX biking and more is set to take place in Cardiff this weekend. The Urdd Urban Games will see Roald Dahl Plass transformed as a number of competitions for children, young people, and professionals take place.
The Oval basin will play host to a variety of events, including wheelchair basketball, break dancing, BMX, skateboarding and more across June 18 and 19. The free event will also include taster sessions and participant competitions with cash prizes.
Among the taster sessions will be a WCMX - wheelchair motocross - session led by World Champion Lily Rice. An Urdd Urban Village, sponsored by Cardiff Metropolitan University, will also be feature food and drinks vendors, DJ trucks, and 'come and try' vendors for spectators and participants.
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The games will be hosting three free sport competitions across the weekend. Other taster sessions, which are also free, include skateboarding, BMXing, DJing, scootering, graffiti, breaking, parkour, and wheelchair basketball. BMX champion James Jones, from Swansea will be leading the BMX taster sessions as well as judging.
The games will be held from 10am – 6pm, with competition registration on both days between 9-10am, and an official launch event will be held at the Urdd’s Cardiff Bay Centre on Saturday morning 18 June between 10.30 – 11.30am. Everyone must register in advance for the weekend competitions through the website here.
Urdd Chief Executive, Siân Lewis said: “Without a doubt, our Sports Department provides children and young people with invaluable opportunities, with 11,000 participating in 300 of our weekly sports clubs. Urban sports are growing in popularity and are now part of the Olympic Games, so it’s vital that our children and young people have an opportunity to experience and develop their skills in these sports. It’s a great time for us to be launching this brand-new event during our centenary year and it will be a special experience for our youngsters to compete side by side with some of the best in the world.
“The Urban Games is another highlight in the Urdd’s sporting events calendar, one that we are proud to be delivering alongside our partners, which we hope will inspire the next generation of world champions. It’s important to us as an organisation to continue to experiment, evolve and innovate, offering as many opportunities as we can to the young people of Wales.”
Welsh skateboarder and chef, Mathew Pritchard, will also be at the event. He said: "My skateboarding journey started on the streets of Roath, and it has taken me to every corner of the world proving that these sports open so many doors. The Urdd has organised such an exciting event, where children and pros will share a stage here in Cardiff - in the city I love.
"I encourage everyone of all ages to come down to the Bay to enjoy, marvel at the skills and have a go. This is a new and exciting initiative for the Urdd and a great opportunity for our young people. I can't wait to be there on my skateboard sharing my skills and seeing the kids and pro's having fun together in our Capital City." The event will also be live-streamed and broadcast by Cardiff Metropolitan University students.
