Former NBA basketball player Stephon Marbury was named president of Urban Fitness League China, UFL CEO Ben Sturner told SBD Global. The UFL, a professional fitness competition featuring extreme calisthenics athletes, will launch in '18. The organization will have teams based in major U.S. cities and abroad, including at least one franchise in China. Participating athletes will come from the U.S., Serbia, Brazil and the U.K., among others. The competitions include individual and team events incorporating fitness, music and style. Sturner said the UFL has already secured several partnerships, which include Turkish Airlines, food brand Health Warrior and sports drink company Body Armor. The UFL World Cup will take place on Tuesday at Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y., to showcase the sport. Sturner said, "The special event on the 4th of July will be an opportunity for fans to experience a taste of what's to come next summer when the UFL debuts."
Marbury is a former foreign MVP of the Chinese Basketball Association with more than 4 million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. "I'm going to be the person that's going to help make sure that people understand that it's something new, but it's been around for years," Marbury said. "This takes patience, skill, strength, commitment, all of these different things that are all in alignment in Chinese culture and how they participate in individual sports." The UFL is in the process of taking bids from Chinese cities interested in having a franchise. According to Sturner, one of Marbury's first duties as president of UFL China will be to secure a broadcast partner. Marbury will meet many of the athletes and, in collaboration with the UFL, give away pairs of his shoes to fans in attendance at the UFL World Cup. "This is the platform and this is the foundation in Coney Island, which is why Ben brought me along. ... I'm from Coney Island and fitness is a part of my life," Marbury said.
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| Source: UFL |
