They’re a bit faded: the pictures of the world’s best wakeboarders, BMX riders and skateboarders at the Munich Mash extreme sports festival in the Bavarian capital. Action athletes from all over the world flew and raced through the Munich Olympic Park for the last time in 2019, then the corona pandemic also forced this scene to take a long break. Now they’re back and particularly excited about this unique contest, to which 80,000 spectators flocked to the Olympic Park three years ago. “It was particularly painful to have to cancel Mash over the past two years because of the pandemic. After all, it’s our own event, which we have been building up and leading to success since 2014 with the support of the City of Munich and strong partners,” says Marion Schöne, the managing director of Olympiapark München GmbH (OMG). But it is also a challenge to build on the successes of the past two events. In 2018 there were even 88,000 visitors to the park.
It starts on Friday with the meeting of international action sports, and this time not only the best athletes, but for the first time also female athletes will show their spectacular skills in all three sports. OMG boss Schöne had already announced this two years ago, and action is now to follow. The extensive and colorful supporting program remains the same. The Mash Fest once again offers interactive zones, music, art, design and infotainment all about action sports.
At the wakeboard competition, women determined the obstacles for the first time
In the skateboard contest, eight men and six women will compete on a varied and playful mini-ramp landscape built on a platform in the Olympic Lake. In addition, 14 of the best BMX cracks will let off steam on this island, best observed from the lawn steps in front.
The crème de la crème of the wakeboard scene will be represented with eight men and four women from seven countries, starting with Friday’s team competition, which features four teams of three each. The setup is determined by the female starting field, in 2019 it was still the men. So the course consists of four obstacles chosen by Anna Nikstad from the USA, France’s Maryh Rougier, Germany’s Anne Freyer and Claudia Pagnini from Italy, all of whom also start in the individual competition. In addition, a rookie contest will be held for the first time, in which the best young drivers in the world will fight for four wild cards for the contest on Sunday. (More info at munich-mash.com.)
