The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced this week, the integration of BMX Freestyle Park(1) as a new UCI cycling discipline via the launch of the UCI BMX Freestyle Park World Cup.
The first edition of the UCI BMX Freestyle Park World Cup will be held in 2016. This competition will be part of the FISE World Series, the International Festival of Extreme Sports. It will include a minimum of three rounds (four from the following year) which will take place between February and December and will be a springboard for the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships envisaged for 2017. It is foreseen that the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships will include BMX Freestyle Park, mountain bike cross-country Eliminator (XCE) and trials.
To achieve its development goals, the UCI will call on the experience of the company Hurricane Company, which has been organizing the FISE World Series for nearly 20 years.
Why BMX Freestyle Park?
BMX Freestyle Park is a spectacular discipline. It attracts young people living in cities, an important target of the Olympic Movement.
The competitors are judged on figures performed throughout the course (difficulty, originality, style), that must be completed within a time limit. The sporting action is simple to explain and can be televised at a lower cost than many other sports.
The construction of the sporting infrastructure is low cost as it is delivered ready for use, is temporary and does not require a large surface area. The events take place in venue similar to a skate park.
Commenting on this announcement, the UCI President Brian Cookson declared: “The integration of BMX Freestyle Park is excellent news for cycling, the UCI, its National Federations and for fans of our sport. The UCI’s strategy is to target cities for the organization of major events where our own events will benefit from the conditions necessary to ensure their popular, media and economic success. Our partner Hurricane will provide us with its knowledge of organisation. The UCI will offer the discipline a high level of recognition, and will thus pursue the development of our sport by meeting the expectations of BMX fans. Thanks to this initiative, BMX Freestyle Park and cycling take another step in their continued globalization.”
“It is with much enthusiasm that we partner with the UCI for the organization of the UCI BMX Freestyle Park World Cup within the FISE World Series, said Hervé André-Benoit, Hurricane Company Chief Executive Officer. “Our partnership is based on shared values and respects the discipline the way FISE has represented it for the past 20 years. Our collaboration will help accelerate the development of freestyle disciplines and we are proud to contribute, together with the UCI, to this new step forward for BMX.”
(1) BMX Freestyle includes five specialties: Park, Street, Vert, Dirt Jump and Flat. It is the Park speciality that will be integrated into the UCI.
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