World Freerunning Parkour Federation

In October 2007, as the first Red Bull Art Of Motion was drawing to a close, and first world champion Ryan Doyle was lying in a hospital bed in Vienna with a shattered leg, the WFPF was born. For the previous year and a half, the yet to be named organization had been the brainchild of three American guys, Victor Bevine and David Thompson, who between them had spent over twenty years working with at-risk inner-city youth, and Francis Lyons, six-time Emmy Award-winning producer of MTV’s hit show MADE, which for years had been making the most unlikely kids’ dreams come true. The three men experienced quite a learning curve as they worked to understand the true nature of Parkour beyond the thrills and spills, to get some kind of concept of this phenomenon that had totally captured their imaginations.

In the end, though, it was the hard-won trust and commitment of the founding athletes, Ryan Doyle, Daniel Ilabaca, Tim “Livewire” Shieff, Pip Andersen, Phil Doyle and Ben Jenkin from the U.K., Daniel Arroyo, Michael Turner and King David from the U.S., Oleg Vorslav, the “Russian Climber”, from Latvia, that made the WFPF possible. These young men, all of them extraordinary athletes and amazing human beings, came together around the idea that they could more effectively and positively influence the direction of Parkour’s growth from “the inside”, rather than remaining underground and opposed to all commercial development. For their part, Bevine, Thompson, and Lyons listened attentively to the athletes, as well as countless freerunners from around the world, with the goal of doing something that had not been done before; looking beyond the conflicts in the community to identify shared values and support the growth of the Parkour movement worldwide.

The years following were filled with countless late-night phone calls, many trips across the Atlantic and the U.S., plans made and principles defended, minor disagreements and not a few major disappointments.

In February 2009, after months of creative negotiations, MTV gave WFPF the go-ahead for a one-hour special to introduce Parkour to the mainstream American audience.

We were as worried as we were excited. Would MTV get it? Okay, it was a competition, and we knew there were a lot of people who would hate it on principle, no matter what. But what kind of a competition would it be? Would they try to turn it into AMERICAN GLADIATOR or would it be more like NINJA WARRIOR? Would the message of Parkour have a chance in the middle of all the hype?

Under intense pressure, we stood firm in our commitment to represent Parkour authentically and responsibly. Eight freerunners were chosen to appear in the pilot, Ryan Doyle, Daniel Ilabaca, Michael Turner, King David, Tim “Livewire” Shieff, Brian Orosco, Daniel Arroyo, and Pip Andersen. Tensions were running high, but glorious “yes” triumphed over faithless “no”, and the guys boarded planes with nothing to lean on but their favorite Parkour shoes and a whole lot of trust.

And MTV got it. Yes, you heard right. Not the first day, maybe, or the second, but as the weeks went by, and the athletes practiced Parkour just like they always do, everyone was watching everyone else riding a giant learning curve. And everyone was excited that they were involved in something totally new, something that might just make a difference.

On the strength of that response, MTV gave the green light for a six episode summer series in 2010, adding Ben Jenkin and Oleg Vorslav to the line-up of athletes.

The show was an awesome, though not always a smooth experience. In the meantime, WFPF began working on other initiatives, first of which was providing freerunners with a good inexpensive Parkour shoe designed by and for the athletes themselves. And thus, the KO was born!

Next, when Red Bull came to the U.S. to expand their Art of Motion championship franchise, WFPF partnered with them for the Tampa, Boston, and Detroit AOM’s, introducing such innovations as community jams on the course and a Wildcard Round to give a chance to unknown up and coming freerunners. Always looking for new ways to expand awareness, WFPF once again partnered with MTV, showcasing the Detroit Art of Motion on co-founder Lyons’ hit series, MADE with WFPF elite athlete Daniel Arroyo as the “Made” coach.

Since our earliest days, WFPF has been dedicated to our mission, summed up in our motto, Know Obstacles! Know Freedom! Now an internationally recognized organization, with athletes around the world, WFPF holds true to its goal of bringing the discipline and philosophy of parkour/freerunning to audiences everywhere.

As of this writing the WFPF has certified over 3000 parkour instructors around the world. In February 2012, after an 18-month development process, WFPF launched its Teacher Training Certification Program to help establish safe practices for the teaching of parkour/freerunning, bringing those programs into compliance with insurance industry standards, which for the first time made it possible for a widespread offering of insurance to Parkour gyms. Developed in cooperation with WFPF’s elite athletes, it is the only parkour/freerunning certification backed by an insurance underwriter. As of this writing in 2024, WFPF has completed over 150 Level 1/ Level 2 in-person certifications in the United States, Canada, Portugal, England, Scotland, Wales, Thailand, and Philippines. Many of these teachers have also gone on to get their WFPF Level 3 Advanced Instructor Certification. During the global pandemic, in 2020, WFPF launched a series of online certifications including virtual certifications equivalent to the in-person Level 1 and 2, thereby keeping gyms in compliance with the requirements of the insurance underwriter. Additionally, WFPF launched its online assistant coach certification, its Ninja and Chase Tag safety certifications, and Level 1 and 2 judging certifications, which qualify graduates to judge official International Parkour Federation (IPF) regional, national and international competitions. For more information about WFPF certifications, or to host one at your gym, go to:
https://wfpf.com/parkour-certifications/

WFPF is a private “for-profit” company and not an official “non-profit” international or national governing body (NGB). (For information on the NGB and international governing body process please visit InternationalParkourFederation.org )

WFPF is considered, however, to be the authoritative source for all things Parkour. Since our partnership on the three US Art of Motions (in 2010 and 2011), WFPF has produced and/or certified competitions large and small in the United States and around the world, providing standardized game-play, judges, judging criteria and certifications, safety and course guidelines, mentoring, marketing and social media, and in some cases liability insurance, all of which is in compliance with International Parkour Federation (IPF) guidelines and bi-laws.

Organizations that have reached out to WFPF for competition/championship certification and support include, the SWA – Associação Portuguesa de Street Workout e Parkour, WFPF Qualifiers for the past seven years at over 30 USA Parkour Gyms for the annual USA Parkour Cup USAParkour.org , WFPF Qualifiers in both Iran and Lebanon for the WorldParkourChampionship.com Mardin, Turkey in 2018, the WFPF Canada Cup (3 years) held at Fly Free in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Scottsdale Parkour Open (7 events), Tranquil Movement’s “Jump Fest” Colorado, to the Vigo Street Stunts Championship in Vigo, Spain (3 years), the Maine Warrior Lab “Lobstah Jam”, to Hubbable Jam in Boston, and the list goes on. For help with your event, please contact WFPF.

In September 2015, WFPF, along with USAParkour.org and USAP College, sanctioned the intercollegiate parkour competition and festival at University of Wisconsin, Platteville with thirty athletes in attendance from nine different American colleges and universities.

In early April 2016, in partnership with the All-Star Games, WFPF brought 25 of the world’s top parkour athletes, male and female, to the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas USA (!) to compete against 50 challengers in front of 5000 spectators in a groundbreaking event. With athletes from as far away as the U.K., Japan and Russia.

WFPF brought the championship back in 2017 and renamed it the WFPF World Parkour Championship “Jump Off”. Ninety athletes came in to compete in the three age divisions and another 35 came to participate in the non-competitive Pro-Am “Jam” all during the three day event. Dozens of other WFPF athletes, affiliates and friends and partners came together to help us produce this, and make this an amazing event.

Part of this 2017 championship also served as the launch of a women’s division of the competition with all women competitors and judged by a panel of all women judges, for the first time in Parkour competition history.

During the pandemic years, 2020 and 2021, WFPF produced virtual international championships including the IPF Africa Parkour Cup 2020, the IPF Asia Parkour Cup 2020, and the Southeast Asia Parkour Cup 2021. In 2022 WFPF resumed production of the USA Parkour Cup 2022, only missing the 2021 Cup due to pandemic shutdowns. The USA Parkour Cup 2024 was the culmination of 18 qualifiers around the United States and was held in Cedar Park, Texas to great success.

In addition to sponsoring many of the world’s top female athletes, in 2013 WFPF officially launched “Lady WFPF Parkour” in response to repeated requests by women who thought that WFPF could help address their specific training needs and concerns. It is run by women for women with the consultation and guidance of WFPF.

In 2017, the first Parkour women’s competition was held at the WFPF “Jump Off” Championship, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, that had all women competitors and was judged by all women.

For more about “Lady WFPF Parkour” click here!

WFPF continues to be a principal player in the international parkour media world, partnering with global brands to continue to bring the spirit and artistry of parkour to the mainstream, while also providing high profile employment opportunities for our athletes. In 2015, American Eagle Outfitters approached WFPF to produce an international online and in-store campaign to launch their new line of “Flex Denim” jeans. The resulting video and print campaign appeared in 1800 stores worldwide as well as on Jumbo-trons and billboards from New York City’s Times Square to the Los Angeles Sunset Strip. Phase two of the AEO/WFPF campaign was a hilarious spoof of the Flex Denim commercial made in partnership with “Funny or Die”, featuring great parkour as well as great comedy by actor Jake Johnson. Check out our media page to see a list of the many other brands that we have worked with.

The best is yet to come for the WFPF! https://wfpfparkouracademy.com/en/ is expanding around the world with academies in the US, Canada, China, Panama, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom. WFPF sells Parkour gear at https://wfpfparkourgear.com/ The year 2024 and beyond promises to be the biggest year yet for WFPF, with major new initiatives yet to be announced. WFPF continues its commitment to listen and respond to the developing needs of the global parkour community. WFPF and its sister companies welcomes you to the family. Thank you for being a crucial part of the process!