The addition of a new sport to the Olympic Games is a tentative process and many get no further than the initial demonstration period. Popular sports such as American football and water skiing have failed to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of their merits and lasted no longer than a year before being replaced. This year’s Olympic Games welcomes another new sport: one with a distinctly modern image - bicycle motocross (BMX).

Athletes participate in BMX in a plethora of different ways. The sport belongs to the same school of extreme sports as skateboarding, snowboarding and motocross, and the events within the discipline range from simple races to the more dangerous Vert event which focuses on style and skill over time or distance. The sport has become increasingly popular with thrill seekers due to its relatively low cost and the fact that it can be enjoyed on almost any surface. Riders actively seek out new terrain and locations to hone their skills, craft their arenas from the urban environment, and may even make their own ramps and jumps.

The Olympic BMX event is a competition of speed in which a number of competitors (eight during the semi-finals and four in the final proper) race around a dirt track complete with hillocks, ramps and tight corners. As such, the event has much more in common with the high octane world of motocross than with snow or skateboarding. The decision to avoid Vert BMX is a consequence of the amount of amateur riders that choose to specialise in the field which, at present, is very low due to the sport’s inherent potential for career-ending injuries. Beijing’s Laoshan BMX venue became the official venue for the five events contested on the 21^st and the 23^rd of August. The final was scheduled to take place on the 22^nd but was postponed due to a spell of bad weather that made the course treacherous to riders.

Despite the dangers associated with the sport, American rider, Donny Robinson, believes that his involvement in BMX racing removed him from other, less desirable theatres: ‘You’re so focussed, […] you couldn't ask for anything better as a kid. And our sport's a little cooler.’ Robinson claimed a bronze medal in the men’s BMX final on Friday while British rider, Shanaze Reade, missed out on the podium after taking a tumble in the final. She escaped with minor injuries but was relegated from the competition. The two gold medallists were Anne-Caroline Chausson from France and Latvian rider, Māris Štrombergs.

BMX replaced the long-established time trial cycling event, effectively closing off an avenue of competition to make way for a niche (but very popular) alternative. The inclusion of snowboarding (since 1998, although the events have been altered subsequently) and BMX racing among long-established sports such as boxing and swimming may mark a move towards a more commercialised Olympic games where appealing to a younger, more ‘modern’ audience is paramount for the continuing success of the IOC and of the Games themselves.

Perhaps the most important question to ask of a new Olympic sport is: will it survive the four year hiatus and return for a second run at London 2012? BMX racing received a great deal of media attention over the last two weeks and was lauded as a thrilling spectacle by Reuters, the BBC and Sky Sports who thought that the event was a far-cry from the more disciplined sports that have graced the Olympics for hundreds of years. The success of BMX racing is an important step forward for extreme sports and the IOC may yet welcome skateboarding, surfing, gliding, or other niche events into the Olympic family.

Written by Chris Illingworth