The Nike+ Festival of Sport 2012 kicked off August 23rd at the Shanghai Stadium. The free four-day festival, aimed at promoting sports in China, gives attendees the chance to participate in a variety of athletic pursuits, including basketball, football (soccer), running, action sports, American football, ping pong, badminton, tennis, and assorted Nike+ competitions. They also have the opportunity to see world-class athletes in action, including basketball stars LeBron James, Yi Jianlian, Amar’e Stoudemire, Rudy Gay and Paul George, as well as skateboarding luminaries Eric Koston, Omar Salazar, Stefan Janoski and Theotis Beasley.
LeBron James spent the final day of his Nike China tour at the festival trying his hand at non-basketball pursuits: he tried beach volleyball with Chinese national team players Xue Cheng and Zhang Xi, and ping pong at the Nike Training Club area. Afterward, he helped judge the Nike+ Basketball Vertical Dunk Challenge, alongside fellow judges Amar’e Stoudemire, Rudy Gay and Paul George, LaDainian Tomlinson, Eric Koston, Omar Salazar, Stefan Janoski and Theotis Beasley. ”The Festival of Sport is a great stage for kids to try out various sports,” LeBron said. “The passion here is amazing. I’m blessed to be a part of it.”
The victor in the Nike+ Basketball Vertical Dunk Challenge was Heng Wang from Beijing, who beat out four other finalists with a vertical height of 43.7 inches. Their feats could be measured, of course, through the Nike+ Basketball app, connected to the Nike Hyperdunk+ that each contestant wore on their feet. Check out the image recap in the gallery below.
