BMX

Competitive sport involving bicycles of a robust design, derived in California in the late 1960s from motocross (motorcycle racing over natural terrain). There are now three main types of competitive BMX event: dirt, speed racing over earth ramps and banks, derived from the origins of the sport; vert, freestyle competitions, which emerged in the 1980s, in which the rider performs manoeuvres, such as flips and spins, on a platform shaped like a half-pipe; and street, involving a track with ledges and rails and requiring skills from both dirt and vert, where competitors are marked on style.

In April 1981, the International BMX Federation was founded, with the first world championships held in 1982. In 1993, BMX was fully integrated into the International Cycling Union (UCI). BMX racing, in its dirt form, was first introduced into the Olympics in 2008.