Pokémon championships coming to Orlando this weekend

The 2008 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships as well as the first-ever Pokémon Video Game Showdown will take place this weekend at the Hilton near Downtown Disney.

The Pokémon Video Game Showdown will feature 64 of the most talented players from the U.S. and Japan competing in two different age divisions. U.S. qualifiers were selected from two regional tournaments held in Los Angeles and New York on July 12 and July 19, respectively. More than 1,000 players from ages 6 to 43 came from all over the country to battle playing Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl for the opportunity to compete against the best players from Japan. Participants will strive for the chance to call themselves a champion and win a grand prize that includes a six-day vacation package for four to New York City, Honolulu, or Tokyo. Runners up will win custom Nintendo DS game systems and special Pokémon prize packs.

The 2008 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships follow a record-setting U.S. National Championships in June, which drew nearly 1,000 competitors. Hundreds of players from nearly 30 countries will compete in the invite-only event for the title of Pokémon TCG World Champion. The top 32 winners in each of the three age divisions will be awarded various Pokémon prizes and merchandise, including scholarship awards worth more than $100,000.

The Pokémon animated series is broadcast in more than 30 countries in over 25 languages. Nintendo’s Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games sold more than one 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 more than 80,000 organized play members.

Here’s a look at the qualifying round in L.A.

For more information, visit: www.go-pokemon.com.