World 1 League, the New Pro Sports League Founded by Nine Olympians, Launches with a Search for the World's Best Athletes via New Social Media and Live Event Platform
The launch kicks off with Olympic Medal favorite and social media star Tara Davis, kicking off "World's Longest Jumper" challenge
LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- World 1 League, a new pro league founded by nine Olympians and backed by entrepreneurs Mark Cuban and Jim Swartz, launched today, with the mission to search the planet for the greatest athletes in individual, Olympic-style sports via social media challenges and first-of-its-kind live stadium events.
The first professional sports league built specifically for social media, World 1 League will crown champions in eight different events in its first year, and is designed to energize a new generation of world sport fans and financially reward current and future world-class athletes. The launch commences with eight men's and women's competitions:
World's Fastest Man/Woman (100-meter dash)
World's Strongest Man/Woman (weightlifting, clean and jerk)
World's Fastest Swimmer (50-meter freestyle)
World's Longest Jumper (long jump)
World's Fastest Climber (speed climbing)
World's Highest Vaulter (pole vault)
World's Longest Thrower (shot put)
World's Highest Jumper (high jump)
Led by co-founders Sanya Richards-Ross, a five-time Olympic medalist and former World's Fastest Woman; Erik Vendt, a three-time Olympian and three-time medalist; and co-founder and CEO Brett Morris, former co-founder and COO of Nasdaq-traded esports company Super League Gaming, World 1 League's diverse ownership group also includes five-time gold medalist Janet Evans, and entrepreneur and Dash Radio founder Scott Keeney (a.k.a. DJ Skee).
"TikTok and Instagram are generating and engaging worldwide audiences in numbers far greater than the major TV networks," said Co-founder and CEO Brett Morris. "There's no better medium to develop and introduce a new sports league and excite a new generation of world sports fans than social media, featuring the incredible feats of the world's greatest athletes. Our long jump challenge will be the first time a sport will be contested, worldwide, on social media."
"Who wouldn't want to be the World's Fastest on TikTok and Instagram?" said Erik Vendt. "But beyond a cool title and ranking, World 1 provides athletes an entirely new and innovative means to make money -- from money meets to sponsorships. Athletes are already a big part of social media, but now including them in a formal, organized league, where they can be rewarded and ranked, is a whole new way to use our platform. With our challenges open to everyone, all athletes can go to social media to not just watch, but compete in what could easily become the world's largest sports competition."
Tara Davis kicks off World 1 League's first social media competition with the "World's Longest Jumper" challenge -- allowing competitors from around the world to upload their long jump videos to TikTok and Instagram using the #World1League hashtag, which automatically enters them in the World 1 Rankings. The challenge is open for anyone at three different age/skill levels -- "Under 16," "Under 20" and "Elite" and is being contested from July 13 through August 3 -- the day of the Olympic long jump finals in Tokyo.
More information about the challenge and the rankings can be found online at world1league.com/longjumpchallenge. The schedule of The League's eight events will be announced on a rolling basis in the coming weeks as well as schedule, prize awards and sponsors.
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SOURCE World 1 League
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