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THE WORLD FREERUNNING & PARKOUR FEDERATION

The World Freerunning & Parkour Federation (WFPF) was founded in January 2007 as a partnership between Ruff Magic Entertainment, a New Jersey limited liability company, and eight of the world’s most respected Parkour/Freerunning athletes. The athletes, Daniel Ilabaca, Ryan Doyle, Tim Shieff, Oleg Vorslav, Victor Lopez, Gabriel Nunez, Paul Darnell and Richard King, and the company principals, Victor Bevine, David Thompson and production partner Francis Lyons came together with the stated purpose of bringing the sport and philosophy of Parkour to mainstream American audiences through television and other media and live formats.

On the WFPF website (www.wfpf.com), the organization’s mission statement reads as follows:

"The World Freerunning & Parkour Federation is dedicated to the safe and respectful advancement of the Parkour Movement throughout the world. Inspired by the creativity and mental discipline embodied by Parkour, the athlete/founders of the WFPF and their partners will faithfully bring this philosophy of movement to the growing numbers of optimistic young people around the globe who believe that through camaraderie, self-expression, and service to others, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome."

MTV

In March of 2009, the WFPF partnered with MTV to develop and produce MTV’S ULTIMATE PARKOUR CHALLENGE, a one-hour competitive format special starring Ilabaca, Doyle and Shieff along with five other WFPF member athletes Pip Andersen, Brian Orosco, King David, Michael Turner and Daniel Arroyo. As of this writing, the airdate for this special is set for Oct. 22, 2009. The WFPF has also partnered with ATHLETES FOR HOPE, a charitable organization founded by Tony Hawk, Lance Armstrong and Mia Hamm among others, to facilitate opportunities for athletes to serve as role models for underserved youth around the U.S.  WFPF athletes have donated their services to events at the Harlem Children’s Zone as well as at the New York Fresh Air Fund.

Other member athletes of the WFPF include Philip Doyle, Ben Jenkin, both from the U.K. and Marcus Gustafsson and Filip Ljungberg of Sweden.

The WFPF website, www.wfpf.com, is a social-networking site similar to facebook, the first such site targeted specifically at the parkour community and dedicated to its interests and concerns. The website currently has profiles posted from every U.S. state and over 60 countries worldwide.

COMPETITION AND CONTROVERSY

In the weeks leading up to production of the MTV special, there was considerable controversy within the Parkour community both for and against the WFPF over its choice to support a competitive format television show and whether that violated the organization’s mission statement. In the main, judgment was deferred until the airing of the MTV show, due in large measure to the esteem in which the WFPF athletes are held in the worldwide Parkour community.

WFPF MANAGEMENT

According the WFPF website, the Ruff Magic principals, Victor Bevine and David Thompson have over thirty years combined experience working in youth development, having directed and developed arts and intervention programs for at-risk youth. Francis Lyons is the Emmy Award-winning executive producer of MTV’s hit series MADE, and is a partner at One Louder Productions.