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Cycling BMX - Summer Olympic Sport

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Cycling BMX

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Buenos Aires 2018
Trailblazing at the Youth Olympics – five facts about BMX freestyle park
19 Jul 2017
RIO 2016
Pajon defends BMX title as Fields strikes gold for USA
02 Sep 2016
RIO 2016
BMX golds for Fields and Pajon
19 Aug 2016
RIO 2016
Pajón focused on retaining BMX crown
23 Jun 2016
RIO 2016
Strombergs eyes third gold in Rio
03 Mar 2016
RIO 2016
BMX course ready to roll for Rio 2016
09 Sep 2015
London 2012
Athletes soak up leaders’ support on Twitter
11 Aug 2012
London 2012
Pajon Colombia's second champion - London 2012 - BMX
11 Aug 2012
London 2012
Wheels keep turning from Singapore 2010 to London 2012
28 Jul 2012

BMX racing took off in California, inspired by motocross. It fast became popular and made its Olympic debut at the 2008 Beijing Games.

California born

Bicycle motocross (BMX) started in the late 1960s in California, around the time that motocross became a popular sport in the USA. The motorised version of the sport was the inspiration for the human-powered competition.

BMX spreads worldwide

BMX racing offered exciting action at a low cost and the infant sport became an instant hit, especially in California. This led to the foundation of a sanctioning body for BMX in the USA in the early 1970s. Over the following decade, the sport gradually gained in international popularity.

Official international sport

In April 1981, the International BMX Federation was founded. BMX rapidly developed a unique sporting identity and it became evident that the sport had more in common with cycling than motorcycling. This was officially recognised in 1993 when BMX was fully integrated into the International Cycling Union (UCI). The sport made its Olympic debut at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Olympic history

It was in 2008 in Beijing that BMX made its debut on the Olympic programme. The men’s event was won by Latvia’s Maris Strombergs. In the women’s event, it was France’s Anne-Caroline Chausson who took the first Olympic title in this discipline.

BMX is one of the fastest and youngest cycling disciplines. Its principle is simple: eight riders compete on a track filled with jumps, tight bends and obstacles. In Beijing, the Laoshan velodrome track was 370m long for the men and 350m long for the women.