BMX History
BMX Olympics Timeline
The BMX Olympics timeline runs from BMX racing's debut at Beijing 2008 and freestyle park's debut at Tokyo 2020 through Paris 2024, LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032.
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The BMX Olympics timeline covers BMX's place in the Summer Olympic Games, from the first BMX races at Beijing 2008 to the addition of freestyle park at Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021), Paris 2024 and the coming Games in Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032. Two BMX disciplines are now on the programme, racing and freestyle park, each with a men's and a women's event.
Before the Olympics
BMX racing began in California in the early 1970s and spread worldwide through the 1980s. See origins of BMX. For decades it was run by its own national and international bodies. In the 1990s the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body for cycling, took over BMX racing and began running the UCI BMX World Championships, which put the sport on the path to Olympic recognition.
Timeline
2003: racing added
In June 2003 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board voted to add BMX racing to the programme, with a debut set for Beijing 2008.
2008: Beijing
BMX racing made its Olympic debut in August 2008 on a purpose-built track at Laoshan. Māris Štrombergs of Latvia won the first men's gold and Anne-Caroline Chausson of France, already a many-time downhill mountain bike world champion, won the first women's gold.
2012: London
The racing track was built in the Olympic Park in east London. Štrombergs won again, becoming the first and so far only man to win two Olympic BMX titles. Australia's Sam Willoughby took silver. Mariana Pajón won the women's race for Colombia.
2016: Rio de Janeiro
Racing was held at Deodoro. Connor Fields won the men's title for the United States, and Pajón defended her women's title.
2017: freestyle approved
In June 2017 the IOC Executive Board approved BMX freestyle park for Tokyo 2020. In November the UCI held its first Urban Cycling World Championships in Chengdu, China, the first UCI world championship for BMX freestyle park.
2021: Tokyo 2020
The Tokyo Games were delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic and held in the summer of 2021. Both BMX disciplines were held at the Ariake Urban Sports Park.
- Racing: Niek Kimmann of the Netherlands and Bethany Shriever of Great Britain won gold.
- Freestyle park: Australia's Logan Martin won the first men's freestyle gold. Charlotte Worthington of Great Britain won the women's event, landing a 360 backflip in her second final run, ahead of Hannah Roberts of the United States.
2024: Paris
Freestyle park was held on a temporary course at the Place de la Concorde in central Paris, and racing at the national BMX stadium in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.
- Racing: France swept the men's podium, led by Joris Daudet. Saya Sakakibara won the women's race, Australia's first Olympic BMX racing gold.
- Freestyle park: José Torres Gil of Argentina and Deng Yawen of China won gold. Australia's Natalya Diehm took bronze in the women's event.
2028: Los Angeles
Both BMX racing and BMX freestyle are scheduled for the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in Los Angeles, according to venue plans announced by the organisers and the UCI in 2024.
2032: Brisbane
Brisbane will host the 2032 Games. The Brisbane SX International BMX Centre, next to the Anna Meares Velodrome in the Chandler sports precinct, is the planned BMX racing venue. Earlier venue plans placed freestyle at Victoria Park (Barrambin), the site later chosen for a new main stadium, and the freestyle venue was still listed as to be confirmed in late 2025. A home Games is expected to bring further investment in Australian racing and freestyle. See BMX in Australia.
Medallists
Racing
| Games | Men (gold, silver, bronze) | Women (gold, silver, bronze) |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing 2008 | Māris Štrombergs (LAT), Mike Day (USA), Donny Robinson (USA) | Anne-Caroline Chausson (FRA), Laëtitia Le Corguillé (FRA), Jill Kintner (USA) |
| London 2012 | Māris Štrombergs (LAT), Sam Willoughby (AUS), Carlos Oquendo (COL) | Mariana Pajón (COL), Sarah Walker (NZL), Laura Smulders (NED) |
| Rio 2016 | Connor Fields (USA), Jelle van Gorkom (NED), Carlos Ramírez (COL) | Mariana Pajón (COL), Alise Post (USA), Stefany Hernández (VEN) |
| Tokyo 2020 | Niek Kimmann (NED), Kye Whyte (GBR), Carlos Ramírez (COL) | Bethany Shriever (GBR), Mariana Pajón (COL), Merel Smulders (NED) |
| Paris 2024 | Joris Daudet (FRA), Sylvain André (FRA), Romain Mahieu (FRA) | Saya Sakakibara (AUS), Manon Veenstra (NED), Zoé Claessens (SUI) |
Freestyle park
| Games | Men (gold, silver, bronze) | Women (gold, silver, bronze) |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo 2020 | Logan Martin (AUS), Daniel Dhers (VEN), Declan Brooks (GBR) | Charlotte Worthington (GBR), Hannah Roberts (USA), Nikita Ducarroz (SUI) |
| Paris 2024 | José Torres Gil (ARG), Kieran Reilly (GBR), Anthony Jeanjean (FRA) | Deng Yawen (CHN), Perris Benegas (USA), Natalya Diehm (AUS) |
What Olympic status changed
Olympic inclusion turned BMX racing from a family and club sport into one with national funding, high-performance programmes and full-time athletes. Countries including Australia, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Colombia and the United States built supercross tracks and training centres after 2008.
Freestyle's arrival in 2021 did the same for park riding. National federations began funding freestyle programmes and coaches, and riders gained access to sports institute support. Some in the core scene were critical, arguing that freestyle had always defined itself outside organised sport. Others pointed to the new opportunities, particularly for women, whose events now have equal billing.
Street, flatland and dirt are not on the Olympic programme. Flatland has its own UCI world championships.
Australia at the Olympics
Australia has won BMX medals in both disciplines. In racing, Sam Willoughby's silver in 2012 was followed by Saya Sakakibara's gold in 2024. In freestyle, Logan Martin won gold in 2021 and Natalya Diehm took bronze in 2024. With Brisbane hosting in 2032, both programmes are building towards a home Games.
Related
Frequently asked questions about BMX Olympics Timeline
When did BMX become an Olympic sport?
BMX racing was added to the Olympic programme in 2003 and first raced at Beijing 2008. BMX freestyle park was approved in 2017 and first contested at the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021.
Who has won the most Olympic BMX medals?
Mariana Pajón of Colombia has three: gold in women's racing at London 2012 and Rio 2016, and silver at Tokyo 2020. Māris Štrombergs of Latvia is the only man to win two Olympic BMX racing golds, in 2008 and 2012.
Will BMX be at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics?
BMX racing is planned for the Brisbane SX International BMX Centre in the Chandler sports precinct. Details of the full BMX programme, including freestyle, were still being confirmed at the time of writing.
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