The phrase Parkour World Championships may refer to one of several parkour competitions organized by various global organizations and institutions.[1] Notable current global competitions include the Sport Parkour League World Championships,[2][3][4] the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Championships,[5][6] and the Parkour Earth World Championships.[7] Notable previous competitions include the Red Bull Art of Motion and the Barclaycard World Freerunning Championship. [8]
FIG Parkour World Championships controversy
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) added parkour as one of their disciplines in 2017, causing international opposition from the parkour community who wanted to govern themselves.[9]
The inaugural edition of the FIG Parkour World Championships was scheduled to take place at Hiroshima on 3–5 April 2020, but was postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic[10][11][12] and was eventually held from October 14, 2022, in Tokyo, Japan.[13][14][15]
The second championships were held by the FIG in 2024.[16]
Due to the controversy and backlash surrounding the establishment of the FIG competition, Parkour Earth was formed to launch a competing World Championship, which is scheduled for 2026.[17]
Sport Parkour League World Championship Editions
The Sport Parkour League (SPL) World Championships have been recognized by high profile parkour athletes as the "community recognized parkour world championships."[18]
| Year | Edition | Host city | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPL | |||
| 2022 | 1st | Vancouver | |
| 2023 | 2nd | Vancouver | |
| 2024 | 3rd | Vancouver | |
| 2025 | 4th | Vancouver | |
FIG Parkour World Championship Editions
| Year | Edition | Host city | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIG | |||
| 2022 | 1st | Tokyo | |
| 2024 | 2nd | Kitakyushu | |
Parkour Earth World Championship Editions
| Year | Edition | Host city | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkour Earth | |||
| 2026 | 1st | Brno | |
References
- Powel, Callum. What is Parkour?. Bookvault Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 9781807385842.
- "Sport Parkour League". IMDB.
- "Parkour UK".
- Powel, Callum. What is Parkour?. Bookvault Publishing. p. 320. ISBN 9781807385842.
- "Parkour World Championships 2022". Olympics.org. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
- "FIG Parkour World Championships: Together in Tokyo". 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
- Powel, Callum. What is Parkour?. Bookvault Publishing. p. 321. ISBN 9781807385842.
- "Freerunning Jumps onto World Stage". Time Magazine.
- "Fig-Gate: The Great Parkour Scandal". accessparkour.com. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- "Main decisions from the 18th FIG Council in Istanbul". International Gymnastics Federation. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- "Hiroshima to host 1st Parkour World Championships in 2020". Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- "First FIG Parkour World Championships postponed". Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "Parkour World Championships 2022". Olympics.org. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
- "FIG Parkour World Championships: Together in Tokyo". 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
- "First FIG Parkour World Championships: The wait is almost over". FIG. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- "Parkour back in Japan for 2nd FIG World Championships". FIG. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- "Parkour Earth World Championships 2026: Brno, Czech Republic!". Parkour Earth. 12 October 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- Tomato, Dom. "Training with Asia's BEST ATHLETES".