BMX News: UCI cozying up to skate and freestyle folk Options

[Rodogg]

I think half the olympic sports have to go ... wooo whoo your fast or your strong .... wow you can throw an 8 pound ball far .. but can you do a back flip truck driver ... or a double front flip .. have you guys seen a mega ramp ... times are changing and just being fast or strong doesn't make a person so special anymore .. you cant pump your self full of supplaments or steroids and be able to do a mega ramp ... its great ... we wont have to worry about cheating anymore.

[nickdawghaters]

Rather than argue the freestlye is a judged sport angle, Im goin to embrace it in this thread. A few Olympic sports are judged arent they? Seems like Freestyle would fit right in. As long as we dont end up with any judging scandals things should go off perfectly.

I personally dont like the fact that the race community would even be on edge about all this... Shows that we need the olympic rings to be legit? We functioned for ages already without olympic glory, didnt we?

[sxbmx]

I think it would be great. It would be good for young kids to see skaters and bmx freestyle guys on TV wearing helmets...I know my son skates as I did and that's one of the reasons I liked the "racing" culture for him cuz ur cool(and forced to (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) ) if you wear a helmet. I know growing up myself as an avid bmxer and skateboarder it was not cool/accepted to wear a helmet. It wasn't until I raced did I accept wearing a helmet.

PS: Biking has been in the Olympics a long time skateboarding has not and deserves a shot.

[woodybmx86]

I had heard from alot of guys who had worked with the new Freestyle league, that skateboarding and freestyle BMX were trying to exist outside of USAC rules, in other words, go in under a "action sports" league, outside of cycling and the UCI. I had heard that that was one of the major sticking points... USOC wants them, badly, They want in, UCI wants to regulate it (hence the "hey they are ALL wheels thing), but Gary and others were sticking to their guns about NOT being under cycling's heel, and basically saying, hey, you need us, not we need you.

so maybe things have changed, I had heard this last year. If it does happen without the UCI, then they wouldn't be taking the spot of any Cycling disciplines, but might be kicking out some OLD sports.

Regardless... I really don't think BMX racing has much to worry about. If you really look at it, it's pretty awesomely entertaining, that SX stuff. It really looks like motocross, and exciting. And that's the point of getting this type of stuff into the Olumpics.

[toothbrush]

Can't wait for countries to make their riders wear tight uniforms, and take drug tests. haha.

[snickadams]

I read the BBC article http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/9436066.stm and find it interesting that skateboarding was already rejected for 2012 and 2016. I also found it interesting that McQuaid will try and add sports without eliminating other sports.

With the London and Rio bids completed and venue construction occurring at both locations I would think it would be after those games when a sport is added. 2020 is a long way off and the host city will be determined Sept. 7, 2013.

Pole Dancing is still trying to make its way into the Olympics. I can see it now, "Honey I am going out with the guys for a few drinks and to watch Olympic hopefuls compete."

[lumpy]

I know in the past people like Jay Miron have tried to work with the UCI... As I understand it, plan B for the freestyle has been to come in as a "gymnastic type" event with Gary's help. Personally, there isn't anything wrong with comparing freestyle to gymnastics. Sure, we both use 20in bikes, but then things move in different directions from there as far as competiton goes.

Personally, I see Plan B potentially having better results all the way around. Take out some old sports and bring in another new event like freestyle. I personally see vert being the most likely to get in first..

There are some very motivated people on the freestyle side of things. And, if they can get help and support from the skateboarder and Gary, I wouldn't bet against seeing something happen for them in 2020...

Brian

[FaithBMX]

I would love to see both Freestyle and skating in the Olympics.
I wonder if they will change the name of the event to the O Games to get a younger audience. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

I could see Freestyle falling under the UCI, but skating; under the Union Cycling International? That's kind of a stretch. I can see where the UCI would want it. It would be another cash cow for them with the UCI receiving all of the fees for events around the world wanting UCI affiliation to get into the Olympics. Honestly, there is nothing really stopping them from doing it. If they work with the IOC and get skating in then they can contract a third party (ala GSX) to put on events. Some skaters might balk at them and not go, but others would jump at the chance to get into the Olympics and a lot of countries would push for it and send skate athletes to events to get their country into the Olympics as well. Same goes for drug testing. Any rider that prefers drugs in their lifestyle wouldn't worry too much about attending events that had drug testing. It would be just like snowboarding in the Olympics. Some of the world's top snowboarders will never be in the Olympics because they like to puff a little. All of the above goes for Freestyle as well. If the UCI get it into the Olympics then the UCI will be the gateway to the Olympics and it will be their way or the highway. The only counter to that would be if someone other than the UCI (an organized association of Freestylers or skaters for the skaters) works directly with the IOC and eliminates the UCI as the middleman.

[woodybmx86]

The only counter to that would be if someone other than the UCI (an organized association of Freestylers or skaters for the skaters) works directly with the IOC and eliminates the UCI as the middleman.

And THAT is what I was told Ream and co. were trying to make happen. Theay wanted to create their OWN association... some sort of Action Sports one, to encompass these types of sports.

[dnichols]

...and I also think that if Freestyle BMX gets in that BMX Racing will be out at some point. It would just be a matter of time, I think.

I could see that too.