The UCI announced today that the Madison and BMX Freestyle Park cycling disciplines have been added to the 2020 Olympics. The Internatinal Olympic Committee made the decision during Friday's meeting of the IOC Executive Board in Lausanne, Switzerland.
"The Madison will bring its long-established history and exciting format to the Games, while BMX Freestyle Park has great potential to open the event up to a whole new generation of athletes and fans," said UCI President Brian Cookson. "In an increasingly competitive landscape for Olympic sport, it is important not only to see our overall quota remain unchanged, but to also welcome the award of four additional opportunities for medals in Olympic cycling disciplines."
In addition to the two new events, it was also agreed that for Mountain Bike and BMX Racing, several quotas previously allocated to men athletes would be transferred to women, achieving full gender equity in both disciplines.
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BMX Freestyle Park takes place on ramps with big transitions and large obstacles. Competitors are judged on tricks performed throughout the course, with points awarded based on difficulty, originality, style and execution.
The Madison, which is 50km for men and 30km for women, involves two riders working as a team to propel each other forward as they meet between laps. Teams sprint every 10 laps to accumulate points.
“I’m super-excited,” said Jolien D’hoore, who, along with Lotte Kopecky, won the first women's Madison world championship in April. “I just got in the hotel and I’ve got about a thousand messages from everybody in Belgium, and also Lotte Kopecky. We’re so happy that it’s Olympic. We had a feeling that it would become Olympic, but you’re never sure. And we thought the news would come out in October, but it’s a bit early now. We’re so happy about it, and now we have a new goal.”
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