Dearest fans, supporters and participators of the R16 Global Series,
I regret to inform you that the Korean government has cancelled the funding for R16 as a whole and without government support, it will not be possible to hold the R16 World Finals in Korea. This came as a very big shock to us as this year was going to be our Tenth anniversary and we had many plans to make this special. As much as you may feel upset or disappointed, please understand that the Korean government has never supported any event over 4 years, while R16 was supported for nine years! However, it must have been more and more difficult for them to prove that R16 is benefiting “Korean tourism”, which is where the budget comes from. Also perhaps with the Winter Olympics coming to Korea, may have also had an affect on the “tourism budget” as well.
Legendary battles

What saddens me the most, is the fact that R16 was the last annual large scale international event held in Korea. I only first heard about the country of Korea back in early 2000’s from the Korean bboys when they were making noise around the world. The whole worldwide Bboy community looked to Korea, as they had some of the biggest sponsored events the world ever seen, it gave many Bboys “hope” in a progressing Bboy future.

Hope… That’s what R16 meant to me, and I’m sure many young Bboys around the world may have felt the same.

So it saddens me to say, that it looks as though there will not be an R16 tenth year anniversary in Korea, however to be clear, we have found another option. The R16 World Finals will be moved to another country in Asia… Taiwan on December 10th 2016 (The weekend after Red Bull BC One World Finals in Japan).
The Bboy scene in Taiwan has grown to such a high level in the past few years and if there is any country in Asia that has the potential and government support to keep this battle alive, it’s definitely Taiwan. Although the overall budget won’t be the same as it was in Korea, this is going to be a fresh start for R16, beginning with a 4 on 4 Bboy battle however bringing it back up to 16 countries!
Saving this event could not have been done without all our event partners around the world who insisted to keep on going. The R16 World Finals will be moving every year or two to other countries who have interest in hosting the world finals. Also, the Korean Tourism Organization (the official owners of the R16 brand) believes that we may be able to bring R16 back to Korea in the coming years!
If you would like to help, you can send a sincere petition to the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism (MCST) of Korea to continue and preserve R16. Please remember to be respectful, and include why you believe that R16 should not come to an end, the impact R16 and Korean Bboys had on you AND the world. If the Korean government can know how big and influential Korean Bboying has on the rest of the world, perhaps they may continue to support.
When clicking on the link below, you will need to download the petition application form. If possible, please send any other file or picture you might have to show your love and support, or if you have even traveled to Korea before, send a picture to show that R16 has indeed brought tourism to Korea. If you haven’t been to Korea before, you can also make a pledge to come to Korea for a visit someday for R16 or a simple visit. Please click on the MCST contact / petition page here:
http://www.mcst.go.kr/english/ministry/contactus/contactus.jsp#epeopleFrameFocus
Respect in Peace

Whether or not R16 continues, scales down, moves to another country or ends now or in the near future, on behalf of Cartel Creative and all the R16 Global Championships, I just want to sincerely thank everyone for your participation, support and love that you show us for the past 9 years. Please do not give up on the dream of a professional Bboy future where our culture, artform, dance and bboys can make a decent sustainable living while being recognized, respected and valued by the entire world…
and I promise to do the same.
Much love and Respect,
Dyzee
– R16 Global Events Producer

Dyzee (Supernaturalz / R16)