The Kimberley Diamond Cup world skateboarding championships, presented by Kumba Iron Ore, are preparing to once again bring thousands of visitors to the Northern Cape this weekend, from October 2 to 5.
According to MEC John Block of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism: “In terms of a world-class sporting event, obviously the Kimberley Diamond Cup serves as a great platform for the Northern Cape as a destination, but even more important is how the various spin-offs from the event create actual changes in our local communities and make a difference in their lives and their daily existence.”
Currently 37 countries are sending their best skaters to the world championships, including countries competing on the international stage for the first time such as Turkey, Vietnam, Philippines, Namibia, Mauritius Islands and Malaysia.  
The Grand Slam events in Kimberley, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town attracted crowds of more than 16 000 people in the past 12 months, introducing them not only to skateboarding but also showcasing the tourism potential of the Northern Cape.  
The Kumba Skate Plaza is realising the province’s vision of creating a community legacy park and has attracted over 24 000 visitors during the past 12 months. 
The main event has been extended to four days this year, and is expected to bring more tourists for longer stays. During the 2013 event, many of the respondents surveyed who were in town only to attend the skateboarding championships, stayed at least three nights and 88% said they would return for future events. 
American rapper Lil Jon will take part in an entrepreneurial session highlighting the secret behind his career successes and sharing valuable lessons he learnt during his appearance in the recent All Star Celebrity Apprentice series with international business mogul Donald Trump. In addition, TV producer and director Peter Shakkour will host a talk on packaging and producing sports programmes for live broadcast. This Emmy-nominated producer has produced shows for the NFL, Olympic Games and the US Open.