X Games Europe Announces Athletes

kailee bradstreet

• October 22 2009
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Sarah Burke, Jacob Wester, Kevin Rolland, Xavier Bertoni, Mikkel Bang and Mathieu Crepel announced among the first wave of invited athletes at Winter X Games Europe. Photo: ESPN Action Sports

X Games Europe, the first-ever Winter X Games to be held outside of the U.S., announced the first round of athletes invited to compete at the event, March 10-12, 2009, in Tignes, France. A list of six athletes invited are as follows:

Gretchen Bleiler - Three-time Winter X Games Snowboard SuperPipe gold medal winner and 2006 Winter Olympic silver medal winner
Simon Dumont - Two-time Winter X Games Skiing SuperPipe gold medal winner
Kevin Pearce - Two-time Winter X Games silver medal winner
Torah Bright - Two-time Winter X Games Snowboard SuperPipe gold medal winner and 2006 Winter Olympian
Levi LaVallee- Three-time Winter X Games Snowmobile gold medal winner

The event will be held in collaboration with ESPN, event host and broadcaster CANAL + Events and Tignes Ski and Snowboard Resort. According to the post:

“The event will bring together ESPN’s world class X Games franchise with France’s leading pay TV broadcaster in Canal +, the local expertise of Tignes and expert course design led by Chris Gunnarson and Snow Park Technologies.

‘We couldn’t ask for more in a first-ever Winter X Games to be held outside the U.S: First-class athletes and courses, a terrific mountain resort in Tignes and a perfect co-host and broadcaster in Canal +,’ said Rick Alessandri, ESPN senior vice president and managing director, X Games Franchise.”