More Than 400 Players Representing Nearly 30 Countries Across Six Continents Competed in the 2008 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships and the Video Game Showdown. Plus, More Than $100,000 in Scholarships, Travel Packages, Nintendo Game Systems and More Awarded at Two Day Event.
Orlando, FL - August 18, 2008 - Traveling from nearly 30 countries and six continents, more than 400 players ages 6 to 62 competed for the chance to be crowned the best PokémonTM players in the world this weekend in Orlando, Florida. Hosted by Pokémon USA, Inc., the worldwide leader in trading card games and video games, the 2008 Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) World Championships and Pokémon Video Game Showdown gave the Pokémon TCG and video game players from around the world a chance to show they were the best. Both championship events emphasized the skill, strategy, creativity and fun involved in playing the Pokémon TCG and video games.
The 350 people from nearly 30 countries who qualified for the TCG World Championships spent countless hours preparing, and survived a storm of battles though an entire season of competitions that included city, state, regional and national tournaments. Each of the three first place TCG finishers received a grand prize that includes a scholarship award worth $7,500 and an invitation to the 2009 World Championships. In total, the value of the scholarships divided amongst the TCG participants from 1st through 16th place in all age divisions totaled more than $100,000. After two full days of fierce one-on-one TCG battles, three winners were crowned in each age group, including:
2008 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Champions - Junior Division
- First Place: Tristan Robinson (11) from Denver, CO USA
- Second Place: Takuto Itagaki (11) from Japan
- Third Place: Simone Zucchelli (10) from Italy
2008 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Champions - Senior Division
- First Place: Dylan Lefavour (14) from New England USA
- Second Place: Paul Atanassov (11) from Canada
- Third Place: Nicholas Kolibas (14) from Boston, MA USA
2008 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Champions - Masters Division
- First Place: Jason Klaczynski (22) from Chicago, IL USA
- Second Place: Khan Le (15) from Norway
- Third Place: Gino Lombardi (18) from Johnston, RI USA
Concurrently, the top 64 Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl video game players from the United States and Japan won a trip to Orlando by defeating hundreds of challengers in regional championships held in each nation. The junior and senior champions each received a grand prize that includes a six-day vacation package for four to New York City, Honolulu or Tokyo, and a custom Nintendo DSTM Game System. The winners include:
Pokémon Video Game Showdown Junior Champion
- Knight Silvayne (11) from Chicago, IL USA
Pokémon Video Game Showdown Senior Champion
- Izuru Yoshimura (21) from Hiroshima City, Hirsoshima Pre. Japan
Pokémon has proved its dominance over the past 10 years as one of the most successful kid’s franchises of all-time. The Pokémon animated series is broadcast in more than 30 countries in over 25 languages. Nintendo’s Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl video games sold more than 1 million copies in the first five days and more than 14 million copies since their launch. The Pokémon Trading Card Game is the number one collectible trading card game and boasts over 80,000 organized play members.
For more information, please visit: www.go-pokemon.com/worldsÂ
About Pokémon USA
Pokémon USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia which includes licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, an animated TV series, the Pokémon Trading Figure Game, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 for play on Nintendo’s Game Boy® and has since evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Pokémon was introduced in North America in 1998 and today is one of the most popular toy and entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com.
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