The sports world is about to get a bit more extreme.

ESPN announced Tuesday that it will undertake a major expansion of its highly successful X Games action sports competitions, doubling the number of events and taking the thrill of motocross, snowboarding and other sports to new continents as well. Currently, there are three annual X Games events: winter (Aspen, Colorado), summer (Los Angeles) and Europe (Tignes, France).

“We are incredibly excited to take the X Games to the next level,” ESPN senior VP Scott Guglielmino said in a statement. “While we have produced events under the X Games banner outside the U.S. for many years, these four new X Games events will be of the same size and stature as the Los Angeles and Aspen events.”

“It has been incredible to see the X Games grow from its relatively underground inception in 1995 to a thriving global competition circuit today,” said skateboarding Tony Hawk. “Our sports have benefited greatly from the positive exposure over the years.”

Indeed, the X Games has had a tremendous effect on mainstream athletic competitions, helping spur the effort to get sports like snowboarding added to the Olympic slate in 1998.

As for which cities will host these added events, the X Games will (for once) take a page from the International Olympic Committee’s playbook and engage in a formal bid process, starting in January 2012. The three cities that are selected (sometime next year) will then be on the hook for three years.

Photo: Adam Lau/AP