Breakdancing and BMX championship on way to city

The three-day event will include BMX, scooter and break events

Wolverhampton is set to stage an urban sports championship, after securing funding to subsidise the event.

Urban Sports FISE Xperience will take place in September, featuring freestyle BMX and scooter events as well as breaking, also known as breakdancing.

The event will be staged in Old Market Square and the new events space in Victoria Street.

City of Wolverhampton Council has been given £390,000 from the Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund run by the government and West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

The councillor responsible for tourism, Bhupinder Gakhal, said: “This is a huge shot in the arm for our exciting five-year events strategy, helping to secure the city’s status and reputation regionally, nationally and internationally as a destination of choice."

FISE runs events in cities across its homeland, France, and around the world.

The city council estimates the three-day event from 6-8 September could attract 15,000 visitors, with an estimated benefit to the local economy of £627,000.

The council hopes 15,000 visitors will see the event

The series' international director Olivier Pascal said he "couldn't be more delighted" to bring the event to Wolverhampton, and would deliver something "unlike anything ever seen before in the UK."

In a digital campaign before the main event, riders worldwide will be invited to post videos online to win a spot to film alongside "some of the world's best riders".

Another sporting event, the Kabbadi world cup, is also to be held in Wolverhampton next year with funding from the Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund.