– Press Conference Joined by World Top 16 B-Boy Teams from 15 Countries
The Press Day for “R-16 Korea Sparkling, GYEONGGI 2008 (www.r16korea.com)” was held at the IBIS Hotel in Suwon City on May 30, 2008. This international b-boy contest is being jointly hosted by Gyeonggi Province and Korea Tourism Organization, and is jointly organized by the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization and KBSN.

The contest will see the participation of the top 16 b-boy teams in the world, who hail from 15 different nations. It will have the largest exposure of any b-boy contest ever, being broadcast live in 55 countries by EURO SPORTS.

One of the contest organizers said, “This is the first time in history that a b-boy contest will be broadcast live to 55 countries. It is even more meaningful and unprecedented in that it is to be broadcast at 8:30 P.M., which is the prime time in Europe. This shows the high level of interest from foreign countries in “R-16 Korea Sparking, GYEONGGI 2008.”

More notably, the contest will be joined not only by b-boy teams from 15 countries, but by the founders of 4 major international b-boy contests, “UK B-Boy Championship”, “Battle Of The Year”, “Freestyle Session”, and “I.B.E.”, as well as Moka, who is the world’s youngest b-girl from Japan, as well as many global hip-hop stars and graffiti artists, which affirms the global status of Korean b-boys.

Gambler Crew (Champion of the Contest to select a national team) and Rivers Crew (Champion of the 2007 contest) will be the Korean teams participating in the contest. The two Korean teams have each already won several international world b-boy championships, and expressed confidence with regard to the upcoming contest in Korea. The foreign b-boy teams participating in the contest and the founders of the 4 major international b-boy contests stated that they were impressed by the rapid development of Korean b-boys and the nation’s support for b-boy culture.

Lee Jae-yul, Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Gyeonggi Province said, “It is my hope that R-16 Korea Sparkling, Gyeonggi 2008, will not just serve as a b-boy contest but become a cultural festival for global youth. I expect that hosting this significant international event in Gyeonggi Province will contribute greatly to the development of youth culture in the province.”

“R-16 Korea Sparkling, GYEONGGI 2008,” which is to be held at Suwon Stadium in Gyeonggi Province between May 31 and June 1, 2008, will include a performance battle (May 31) where the world’s top 16 teams will individually display their skills, and the tournament crew battle (June 1).