Another milestone for the worldwide appreciation of the movement forms was the use of Parkour and Freerunning scenes by Madonna in two of her music videos (“Hung up” and “Jump”).
Rapid global diffusion and development were aided by Internet video portals like YouTube, which provided a platform for the presentation of Parkour and Freerunning videos and enabled a rapid international exchange of experiences. Meanwhile, in other countries, numerous groups of young people were springing up, with the aim of following in the footsteps of their French heroes.
Where there is demand, there will be supply. Due to the increasing demand for clarification and training guidance, the first teams and agents at local and national levels were formed offering training facilities and workshops. Growing international interest led to the first events and competitions.
Although neither David Belle nor Sébastien Foucan had intended Parkour and Freerunning to be competitive sports, there are now a few competitions for these target groups. The first competition of this type was the Parcouring World Championships on July 9-10, 2007 in Munich, Germany.
The competition consisted of a timed obstacle course that was promoted with Parkour images. At that time, the competition sparked a lively debate over whether Parkour competitions were going in the right direction. From this difference of opinions at that time, an interest group sprang up, which objected to Parkour in connection with competitions (“Pro Parkour, against competition”).
Although Sébastien Foucan also said that he was against competitive Freerunning, it is also developing in a different direction. On October 6, 2007, Red Bull organized the first Freerunning/ Freestyle Moves Contest, called “Art of Motion,” in Vienna, to which an international selection of freerunners was invited in order to establish the best freerunners by means of a one-minute “show run.”
The Parcouring World Championships were likewise expanded to include a style contest for the Freerunning community in 2008. A third international competition was organized by Urban Free Flow in London in September 2008, called the Barclaycard World Freerun Championships. All three competitions were also held in 2009.
Since 2009, there has been the completion of an open air Parkour and Freerunning Park in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the first indoor training hall for Parkour and Freerunning in Russia (St. Petersburg) and in Germany (Cologne – Move Artistic Dome). Others are currently under construction. The scene is developing rapidly and diversely, and it is exciting to see which direction it will take.
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