The best of the X Games

X Games started in the 1993 when the ESPN decided to invest resources in the creation of an international meeting point of extreme sport

This is the 18th year of the X Games. This annual event is controlled and arranged by the U.S. sports broadcaster ESPN and focuses on action sports. It has both winter and summer competitions and athletes compete to bronze, silver and gold as well as money prize. The story of it begins in 1993 when ESPN management decides to devote significant resources to the creation of an international gathering of action sport athletes. Then, a team assembles to develop the initiative. The inaugural X Games (first named Extreme Games) were held in summer 1995 in Rhode Island and after enthusiastic response from the athletes, organizers, spectators and sponsors, ESPN decided to hold the event the following year, instead of every two years as originally announced.
Here is the timeline of past X Games highlights!

1994: At a press conference at Planet Hollywood in New York City on April 12, ESPN announces that the first Extreme Games will be held in Rhode Island in June of 1995.

1995: From June 24 to July 1, the Extreme Games are held in Rhode Island. Athletes compete in 27 events in nine sport categories: Bungy Jumping, Eco-Challenge, In-line Skating, Skateboarding, Skysurfing, Sport Climbing, Street Luge, Biking and Water Sports. 198,000 spectators attend the first Extreme Games. Seven sponsors (Advil, Mountain Dew, Taco Bell, Chevy Trucks, AT&T, Nike and Miller Lite Ice) lend their support to the event.

1996: The name Extreme Games officially changes to X Games and return to Rhode Island for second year. The primary reasons for the change of the name are to allow easier translation to international audiences and better branding opportunities. Over 200,000 spectators turn out for X Games 2.

1997: The inaugural Winter X Games are televised to 198 countries and territories in 21 different languages. This is the first year that ABC Sports broadcasts an X Games event. From June 20 to June 28, a record crowd of 221,000 fans watches X Games 3 in San Diego and Oceanside, California.

1998: Winter X Games 2 is held in Colorado. New sports include Freeskiing, SnowCross and Skiboarding. In June, the X Games tops its attendance mark for the fourth consecutive year as more than 233,000 spectators are present at San Diego X Games 4.

1999: X Games 5 in San Francisco attracts nearly 275,000 spectators. It was the first professional sporting event broadcast live on the internet and there were two important facts: after eleven failed attempts, the skateboarder Tony Hawk finally landed a 900-degree spin (the 900); Travis Pastrana won the first ever motorcross freestyle event at the X Games, after dislocating his spine the previous spring. He also scored the highest ever run of 99.00 points.

2000: Winter X Games 4 is held in Mont Snow, Vermont with an attendance of 83,000 spectators. On August, the Summer X Games were disputed in San Francisco, California. That year, Dave Mirra won BMX Park, landing the first ever double backflip in competition. Tommy Clowers won the first ever motorcross step up event, at a record-breaking height of 35 feet and Bucky Lasek scored a 98.50 in skateboard vert, the highest in X Games history.

2001: Winter X Games 5 is held February 1-4 for the second year in Mount Snow. Downhill BMX makes its debut, which is held at the Woodward Camp in central Pa. For the first time in X Games history, the events are held inside and outside an arena.

2002: Winter X Games 6 is held in Aspen, Colorado. Since then, Colorado has hold Winter X Games. Two new skiing disciplines are added: Ski Slopestyle and Ski SuperPipe. X Games 8 returns to the First Union Complex in Philadelphia. Another park course is added to accommodate the unique riding style of skateboarding. Women’s Skateboard and Moto X exhibitions are featured. X Games VIII was the most-watched X Games ever as nearly 63 million people tuned in on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports.

2003: Winter X Games 7 is held in Aspen, Colorado for its second year featuring the sports of Moto X, Ski, Snowboard. X Games 9 makes its debut in Los Angeles August 14-17 in its primary venue at Staples Center. That year, Ryan Sheckler became the youngest X Games gold medalist ever at the age of 13 in skateboard streetpark.

2004: The 10th anniversary of X Games is held August 5-8 in Los Angeles for its second consecutive year.

2005: On April 27, an announcement is made that X Games will remain in Los Angeles through 2009. X Games 11 is held in Los Angeles. In 2005, Travis Pastrana won gold in motorcross freestyle again and became the most decorated athlete in motorcross.

2006: X Games 12 is held in Los Angeles adds the sport of Rally Car Racing and the new discipline of BMX Big Air to its sport lineup. Travis Pastrana won the inaugural X Games rally, beating the former World Rally Champion, Colin McRae by 52 seconds after the latter rolled his car with two corners to go at the Home Depot Center. Another interesting fact in that year was that skateboarder Nyjah Huston became the youngest athlete to compete in X Games at 11 years old.

2007, 2008 and 2009: X Games is also held in Los Angeles, California.

2010: The Staples Center took X Games 16. Some curiosities happened in 2010. Travis Pastrana competed in four events after pulling out of best trick at the last minute. He came back to freestyle after a 3 year break and took gold, pulling yet another double backflip, the first in X Games freestyle competition. Ashley Fiolek won the women's motorcross super X for the second year running, becoming the only rider to do so and Pierre-Luc Gagnon became the first athlete to win in skateboard vert three times, beating the silver medalist, Shaun White.

2011: Shaun White earned his second gold medal in skateboard vert, breaking Pierre Luc Gagnon's 3-year winning streak and Liam Doran took gold on his debut in the rally car racing event after beating Marcus Gronholm in the final.

2012: Bob Burnquist won his fourth Big Air gold medal, and his ninth total gold medals. Garrett Reynolds 5-peats in BMX street, the only competitor to win BMX street in its 5 year history at X Games. Sébastien Loeb (Citroën DS3), by then eight consecutive times World Rally Championship winner since 2004, claimed gold on his debut in the X Games’ RallyCross event. This year, the ESPN held a bid to select three host cities in addition to Los Angeles, Aspen and Tignes to form a six-event calendar for the next three years beginning in 2013. The order of the X Games competitions in 2013 is: Aspen, January 24–27; Tignes, March 20–22; Foz do Iguaçu, April 18–21; Barcelona, May 16–19; Munich, June 27–30; Los Angeles, August 1–4.