by Chris Mitchell

Let's get one thing straight right now. Action sports are the most exciting sports in the world. I would rather watch a whole afternoon of amateur action sports competition than be forced to spend ten minutes at a baseball game. And I'm not alone. People everywhere are discovering the thrill of the skate park environment, the sense of accomplishment you get from finally pulling that trick, the buzz and camaraderie of a late night session.

Even in the most remote corners of the globe, action sports are taking off. Countries that are struggling for independence. Countries that are creating their identity from a stretch of sand and rocks. Countries that, ten years ago, barely had the technology to accommodate running water, today are building skate parks and hosting events.

Take Czechoslovakia for example. It wasn't until 1990 that they were able to squeeze out from under the Soviet thumb, but already the Czech Republic is host to one of the most popular skateboarding competitions in the world. Held every summer in Prague, the Mystic Skate Cup draws thousands of spectators to watch skaters like Austen Seaholm, Sandro Dias and Andy Macdonald compete for US$30,000.

"It's really exciting to see the population of skaters in this remote corner of the world," says Danielle Bostick, head of World Cup Skateboarding. "It's such a core event. We get 6000 people a day who show up to watch the competition."

In Asia, action sports have grown so popular that governments have been forced to set up agencies to organize the efforts of enthusiasts. Beijing now has an Extreme Sports division within the Ministry of Sports and the Olympic Council of Asia has announced that they will be including extreme sports at the Indoor Asian Games in Bangkok in 2005. Thailand and Taiwan have commissioned dozens of new skate parks over the next few years and the Minister of Sport in Malaysia was so happy with the excitement generated by the Asian X Games that he fast-tracked a piece of legislature to keep ESPN in Kuala Lumpur for the next three years.

It should come as no surprise that Australia is home to the world's next biggest Moto-X movement. With 90% of the country covered in sand dunes and packed dirt, the terrain is perfect. Australians are at an advantage because they have insanity in their blood; every month, a new rider learns to flip. And the rest of the world is in a race to overtake Southern California as the Mecca of Moto with events throughout the year in Europe and South America. (continued)