SAN DIEGO — The 2023 X Games are heading to Southern California with an 8-day tour up the coast making stops in San Diego, Los Angeles, and the finals taking place in Ventura.
More than 150 athletes will compete in skateboarding, BMX, and motocross events from July 16th to July 23rd. San Diego will host the Real Street and Real BMX best trick medal events, however, these events will not be open to fans but instead streamed online and packaged for television broadcast.
After a launch party and pop-up competition in Los Angeles, the main event moves to the Ventura County Event Center and Fairgrounds from July 21st through July 23rd for finals weekend. Fans will be able to attend the X Games finals for the first time since the pandemic.
San Diego is home to many X Games athletes like Bryce Wettstein, Tyler Bereman, Elliot Sloan, and others. Among those, "others" is 3-time BMX Gold Medalist Kevin Peraza. Peraza is from Arizona but now calls San Diego his home.
Peraza will be competing in 4 different events across three different disciplines, BMX Park, Street, and Dirt. "Obviously all the jitters are coming back the emotions the excitement see just coming back to where action sports is from you know and I know the crowd will be prime the energy will be there and all the incredible athletes are going to showcase their talents will be you know, doing their part."
A man who has become a staple in the event, bringing home 7 gold medals and even hosting the X Games in his back yard, is San Diegan Elliot Sloan. Our Jake Garegnani took the trip up to Vista and Sloan Yard to catch up with the skateboarding star. Elliot is competing in three in three events, MegaPark, taking place in his own backyard, vert and best vert trick.
The X Games have made a partnership with Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner which stops in the Ventura Fairgrounds parking lot, right next to the location for the X Games finals.
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