Osram Parkour World Meeting / May 6th 2006 / Postbahnhof Berlin

Experience a new side of your town

On May 6th 2006 Europe’s elite in the new free-sport parkour is meeting in Berlin for the Osram Parkour World Meeting. For one day, the old Postbahnhof (post railway station) in East Berlin will be the Mecca of this urban movement. Led by its founder, the Frenchman David Belle, top athletes from France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria will demonstrate their skills. They will also hold workshops to show some 250 beginners and experienced parkour practitioners how to become a “traceur”, as the parkour athletes call themselves. This meeting, the biggest to date in the young history of the sport, has been made possible by light manufacturer Osram in close cooperation with PAWA, David Belle’s parkour organisation.

There are still only a few hundred traceurs in Germany. Thanks to its charismatic inventor, however, parkour has long since been a major trend in France and part of youth culture. The film Banlieue 13 with David Belle and a script by Luc Besson, had a successful run in French cinemas, and in the new video Hung Up by pop icon Madonna, the traceurs are real eye-catchers. But parkour is more than just a superficial fashion trend.

Parkour is an efficient and spectacular way of moving around in cities and the countryside – elegantly, with no accessories and with flowing movements. The route is determined by the existing topography and people’s own skills and ideas. Parkour is creative. Many consider it more of an art form than a type of sport. Apart from sports shoes, no equipment, accessories or special sports area are required. It’s a sport that can be done anywhere because it can be practised wherever you are – in the city or in the countryside. The traceurs run, jump and climb over rough and smooth surfaces, steps and railings, houses and obstacles. They are rediscovering a familiar environment, finding and improving a sense of their own bodies and stimulating their creativity. Traceurs do no take any unnecessary risks, but are continuously developing their own abilities. Parkour is about control, not about daring.

DOT-it, the new light for everywhere from Osram, is now bringing the trend movement to Berlin for the first time with a big event. “In our view, parkour, the sport for everywhere, and DOT-it, the light for everywhere, complement each other perfectly. Both are young, urban and smart. And both allow you to tread new paths and discover new things – whatever the terrain and environment,” says Juliane Braun, Head of Communications at Osram, explaining the company’s commitment to the young sport. On 6 May 2006 the area at Postbahnhof (Fritz Club) near Berlin’s Ostbahnhof will transform into the Mecca of the parkour scene. Many cracks, led by cult figure David Belle, will demonstrate their skills and bring the fascination of the sport closer to beginners and experienced practitioners in one-day workshops. They will show how to rediscover your own town and district for yourself through parkour. In the evening there will be a closing party for the Osram Parkour World Meeting with a parkour show, DVD screening, live music and a party.

Press contact:

OSRAM

Christian Bölling
Tel: +49-89-6213-2597
Fax: +49-89-6213-3457
Email: c.boelling@osram.com