Montréal’s got game in urban sports
Sport activities
Montréal has hosted the world’s largest sporting event (the summer Olympics), boasts a massively successful hockey team (go Habs!) and host annual sporting events like the Canada Masters tennis tournament and the F1 Canadian Grand Prix that attract thousands of visitors. It’s no surprise we’re also a hotbed for urban sports.
Part of a global scene
Urban sports — sports that were born and are performed in urban settings, essentially, such as skateboarding, parkour and buildering — are part a growing global scene.
There are millions of new urban athletes in North America: in the past few years, skateboard sales across the world have reached an all-time high. People are also flocking to climbing gyms. Both skateboarding and climbing made their debut at the Tokyo Olympic Games, and will also be a part of Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028). Breakdancing will also be officially added to the Paris Olympics.
Montréal’s urban sports chops
For over a decade, Montréal has been producing and hosting some of the world’s preeminent urban sports events, marking the city as a hotspot for some of the coolest and most people-pleasing sporting events around. Here are just a few of the events and competitions that we host or have hosted.
Jackalope
A blend of extreme urban activities, the thrilling Jackalope is the largest action sports event in Canada. Featuring BMX, base jumping, fixed gear riding and bouldering, Jackalope is also the only Canadian stop on the World Cup skateboard circuit. Beloved by adrenaline junkies young and old, Jackalope’s nail-biting action leaves everyone on the edge of their seats.
FIBA World Tour
Three-on-three basketball is not only the largest urban team sport in the world, particularly in Western Europe and Asia — at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics it became a bona fide Olympic sport. Montréal is an international FIBA World Tour host city — so game on!
WFTDA Championships
Montréal has one of the top 10 ranked roller derby teams in the world and has been known to host the biggest battle for the title in the International Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.
Empire Games
The annual Empire Games snowboarding competition takes place on hills near Montréal and features pro competitions as well as demos, where the world’s best demonstrate their skills. (It’s also famous for its afterparties!)
Isa Tousignant
Isa Tousignant is an editor and storyteller with a curiosity that runs deeper than most. She has chatted life philosophies with celebrity chefs, gemologists, arena rockers and furries. (All were transformative.) Her favourite things include discovering new flavours and celebrating the creativity that defines her hometown, Montréal.