EXCITING, spectacular and fashionable - the KIA X Games Asia 2012 placed Yangpu District under the spotlight in the extreme sports world over the May Day holiday.

More than 67,000 people - parents bringing kids, friends getting together - flocked to Jiangwan Stadium for the event, undeterred by the gray skies and drizzle.

While there were plenty of competitions taking place for those who just wanted to spectate, extreme sports fans could also take part in activities such as a climbing wall, a mini-futsal field, a DJ stage and even a miniature street course where they could show off their own skills.

Hu Xing, vice director of Yangpu Sports Bureau, said the event connected sport with tourism.

"Yangpu has been endeavoring to find an event that brings sport and tourism together. This year, five travel agents have brought around 2,000 tourists from across the country to the KIA X Games Asia 2012," Hu said. "It paves the way for extreme sports tours next year."

In fact, according to an online poll conducted by overseas media, the KIA X Games Asia 2012 featured in the top 20 reasons given by foreigners for visiting Shanghai over the break.

Hu said statistics showed that 40 percent of spectators at the KIA X Games were from Shanghai, with the remainder from other parts of China and overseas.

Meanwhile, the event also provided a great opportunity for the district to promote itself globally.

As one of the sponsors, ESPNSTAR broadcast the event live three hours for each day. The broadcasts helped lift the profile of Yangpu worldwide, said organizers. Last year, more than 320 million spectators watched the event on TV or on online broadcast.

Wu Qianyu, vice director of Yangpu District, said that Yangpu displays the same spirit as extreme sports stars - a determination to push oneself to excel in a chosen field.

"The spirit of extreme sports is challenging yourself to the limit. This is also the spirit of the district," Wu said. "For Yangpu, it is beyond sport, it has become a culture."

Looking back to the 1990s, a lack of knowledge and cultural difference made it difficult for extreme sports to make inroads into China.

"At that time, people only viewed extreme sports as being dangerous, overlooking the role of stimulating young people's spirit to overcome difficulty and showcase individuality," said Liu Fumin, chairman of Chinese Extreme Sports Association.

"Over the past six years, Yangpu has made great efforts to promote the sport, and now there are around 200,000 extreme sports enthusiasts in the country."

World-class contestants also help promote the sport in China, and plenty of top names were battling it out at the KIA X Games Asia 2012 over the holiday.

BMX Vert rider Vince Byron defended his 2011 BMX Vert gold medal, edging out fellow Australian Steve McCann and American Chad Kagy for his fourth KIA X Games Asia medal.

Byron entered the final event on top and showed his dominance throughout the entire jam session. His two best runs included a double tailwhip, barspin to lookback, flair whips, a 540 tailwhip and other tricks that proved good enough to retain his title.

"I'm really stoked to be doing what I'm doing and I love all the guys that I ride with. I did the job and I came away with the gold. Hopefully BMX will get bigger and bigger in China," Bryon said.

In the Aggressive In-line Street Finals, Thailand's Worapoj Boonnim was the first Asian to win a medal at this year's event, clinching the bronze. The gold medal was won by American Jeff Stockwell, who was thrilled after winning silver medals in his previous two KIA X Games Asia appearances. After qualifying in third place, Stockwell's relaxed style gave him an advantage on the new street course.

"I feel great. This is the first time I have won a contest in a long time, but I have been skating every day and it really paid off today," said Stockwell.

One of the most eye-catching stars is 12-year-old skateboarder Tom Schaar, who's been making waves in the United States for being the first skateboarder ever to land a 1080 - a three-revolution stunt - and the youngest ever athlete to skate the MegaRamp.

Schaar won the Skateboard Mini MegaRamp title, beating a stellar list of top names who have defined the sport. It was his first KIA X Games Asia gold medal and made him the youngest champion in the history of the event.

"I like the speed and the feeling of flying high," Schaar said. "It's an enjoyable experience competing with top players."

Schaar looks set to become an icon for Chinese young extreme sports enthusiasts, showing them what can be achieved through dedication.

About KIA X Games Asia

The KIA X Games Asia is one of the most exciting action sports competitions in Asia and has been staged in China for six consecutive years.

More than 100 action sport athletes from almost 30 countries and regions competed in BMX freestyle, aggressive in-line, skateboarding, with some of the world's best riders performing in the Moto X "Big Air" demonstration.

Considered the pinnacle of global action sports competition, the KIA X Games Asia in Shanghai has been televised live across Asia.

ESPN first developed its X Games franchise in 1995. ESPN has held X Games competitions and demonstration events around the world, including Dubai, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, Malaysia, China and Spain.

Andrew-Zhilin Chueng is the event ambassador, who also composed the event theme song.

? BMX Freestyle
BMX Freestyle evolved from BMX (bicycle motocross) racing in the early 1980s, although racing has been around since the 1970s, with the first official BMX heavy-duty bike frames replacing the traditional modified Stingrays in 1973. In 1983, the first exclusively freestyle bikes were produced and by the following year the first freestyle competitions were held at skate parks. By 1986 sponsorship was pouring in to the sport.

? Skateboard
Surfing is the father of skateboarding, when during the late 1950s and 1960s American music and movies celebrated the surfing subculture. Landlocked kids began looking for ways to recreate the feeling of riding a wave on land and began experimenting with surfboard-like designs. The first commercial skateboard, the Roller Derby, hit the shelves in 1959. Key tricks in the sport over the years include the aerial, the invert, the ollie and the kickflip.

? Aggressive In-Line
The basic idea for in-line roller skates has been around for about 300 years, when a Dutchman tried to simulate ice skating in the summer by nailing wooden spools to strips of wood and attaching them to his shoes. Throughout the 1990s, a series of in-line competitions were held, including in 1995 the first ESPN Extreme Games in Newport, Rhode Island. Today, in-line skating ranks as the fifth-largest participatory sport in the United States and the number one participatory sport among six- to 17-year-old males.

? Moto X
Motocross racing was born in Europe after World War II and has grown into a global phenomenon and an integral part of America's passion for motorsports. Motocross burst into the scene in the 1980s, became more mainstream in the 1990s and was added to the X Games roster in 1999. In Big Air - also known as Best Trick - a rider gets three jumps, usually covering more than 18 meters from a dirt-covered ramp.