SHOULD DOWNHILL BE IN THE OLYMPICS?
Should Downhill Be in the Olympics?
Mountain biking has a relatively short history that dates back to the early 1970s. The famous founders of the sport include Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly and many more. These guys, who were living in Northern California, had the crazy idea to take beach-cruiser-style bikes with modified brakes and balloon tires and push them up steep hills in order to blast back down in a dust cloud of glory. The Repack course was soon born as the first-ever downhill racetrack. These riders recorded their times on a piece of spiral-bound paper with start and finish times, similar to a modern downhill race. Soon after these events, bikes became more efficient climbers, and cross-country-style racing became widely popularized. The history of mountain biking, however, proves that the sport was born with downhill racing in mind. Oddly, downhill racing is not currently an Olympic sport, yet many other forms of cycling are. What is so important about the Olympics anyways, and does downhill racing need to be recognized at the Olympics? Well, we gathered some Olympic history, asked a few of our favorite pros and sought out the answers.
HISTORY OF CYCLING IN THE OLYMPICS
The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of all sporting events, hosting a large variety of sports and representing just about every nation. The modern Games as we know them have been competed in since 1896, and to this day still hold the same prestige and excitement. During the 2012 London Olympics more than 200 million Americans tuned in to watch the Games. The Olympics currently offers a large number of events, such as swimming, gymnastics, and track and field, yet only a few disciplines of cycling. Current forms of cycling include road, track, cross-country and BMX. Road and track racing have been widely accepted Olympic sports since the beginning of the Games in the late 19th century, but cross-country mountain biking and BMX are relatively new. It wasn’t until 1996 that the first Olympic cross-country mountain bike race was held in Atlanta, Georgia.
This race consisted of four and a half laps around a 6.6-mile track in the hot summer month of July. Bart Brentjens from the Netherlands took the gold medal. Moving forward we saw BMX racing become an Olympic sport in 2008. BMX racing became an internationally recognized sport in April of 1981 and was fully integrated into the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 1993. The first-ever UCI Mountain Bike World Championship took place in Durango, Colorado, in 1990 and at that time only consisted of downhill and cross-country racing. Since that time both sports have flourished with a full World Cup schedule and a season-finishing World Championship event. There is no doubt in our minds that downhill racing offers the same caliber of athletics, competition and excitement as cross-country or BMX racing. With both those sports being Olympic events and downhill not being included, we wanted to explore what makes a sport eligible to become an Olympic event.
JILL KINTNER
Olympic Bronze Medalist—BMX Three-Time World Champion—MTB
Jill Kintner is not only a professional downhill racer, she’s also an Olympic bronze medalist in BMX.
What are your thoughts about downhill racing becoming an Olympic event?
I think downhill would be one of the most exciting events to compete in and also watch. Ski racing is by far my favorite Olympic event, and downhill mountain biking could become the summer version, if done right. It would take a few rounds to really see a difference, but more money and the world stage would definitely change a lot of things about the industry. I think building a worthy course in proximity to the host city might be a challenge, as it is with cross-country, but it has potential.
How would downhill racing as a sport be affected if it became an Olympic event?
It’s hard to say, but I think there would be an equal number of benefits and draw- backs if the sport went mainstream. A bit of the spirit of what mountain biking is would probably get lost in all the hype. If the end goal is to get more people aware of what downhill is and out riding bikes, though, then it could be cool. Not sure if the average person would understand downhill, but they would see it’s an exciting and dynamic sport full of characters. Hopefully, the competition would thrive, funding would increase and trails for mountain bikes would flourish.
I loved my experience with BMX entering the Olympics, mostly because I got to learn so much about other sports and be around amazing people. The sport advanced quickly, with elite courses and professionalism brought into it. Having resources available to be the best you can be is amazing, and that was never available before. Downhill is an expensive sport, and the teams with the most money seem to have an edge. Country funding and team setup would be pretty unifying. The Olympics has a lot of highs and lows for athletes, and it’s hard, but it means something to get a shot every four years. I personally have great memories from Beijing, and I got out of there with a medal, which was a dream come true.
BRIAN LOPES
Multiple World Champion Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
Brian Lopes: “I have mixed feelings on downhill becoming an Olympic sport.”
What are your thoughts about downhill racing becoming an Olympic event?
I have mixed feelings about downhill becoming an Olympic sport. On one hand it could bring a lot of eyeballs to the sport and help get some funding for some countries and federations, but on the other hand I see cross-country and BMX, which have both become Olympic disciplines over the past 20 years, and I don’t know how much it has really helped those disciplines grow. I for sure know there are certain athletes who have won Olympic events and gotten great deals, but I also know others who have gotten medals and really haven’t gained much. I think within the sport it wouldn’t get as much respect as outside the sport. Look at countries like the UK or Australia where there is a deep field of talent, yet only two, maybe three, racers would actually be able to go. I don’t think it would showcase the deep field of talent, and the racing wouldn’t be as exciting.
How would downhill racing as a sport be affected if it became an Olympic event?
It always seems like there are so many regulations and stipulations for Olympic events, most of which benefit the sponsors of the athletes. And then, of course, there is TV time, and how much airtime would downhill even get? BMX and cross-country courses have changed dramatically—specifically for the Olympics. What would we see downhill courses become?
LEIGH DONOVAN
BMX Hall of Fame—MTB Hall of Fame—Downhill World Champion
Leigh Donovan is a mountain biking legend. She consistently gets invited to race the Legends of Kamikaze race, and this photo shows just how fast she can go.
What are your thoughts about downhill racing becoming an Olympic event?
Much like downhill ski racing, downhill mountain biking should be an Olympic event, as it’s exciting and, in my opinion, is the mountain bike industry’s most TV-friendly event for spectators.
How would downhill racing as a sport be affected if it became an Olympic event?
As we saw with cross-country racing before the 1996 Olympic Games, the positives were that there was more sup- port for the cross-country athletes with more depth to sponsorship opportunities and governing-body support, which are pretty limited today for downhill racers. The negatives were that athletes were exposed to more pressures when it came to enhancing their performance, which caused an increase in positive drug testing. Still, I feel downhill racing would benefit as a whole by being added to the Olympics, which would catapult downhill racing to the level it should already be at. For women (downhill women see the least support overall in our sport), new opportunities would flourish, and more women/girls would become attracted to the sport again. I believe here in the USA we’d begin seeing great female talent rise up the ranks again.
NED OVEREND
1990 XC World Champion
Six-time XC National Champion
2015 Fat Bike National Champion
What is your opinion about down-hill racing becoming an Olympic event?
I think it’s a great idea. The gravity side of mountain biking should be represented in the Olympics. It is a highly competitive international sport, more so than several of the current Olympic events. I suspect one of the major concerns is having a hill big enough to hold an Olympic-caliber downhill without having to go too far from the central Olympic venue. The IOC should embrace it, because it would be one of the most exciting events of the Summer Olympics.
TODD WELLS
Two-Time National Champion—Cross Country Three-Time Olympic Cross-Country Racer
Todd raced in the Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012. He placed 19th, 43rd, and 10th. He’s not planning on racing the Olympics this year. Photo by Russell Finsterwald/courtesy of Scott
What are your thoughts about downhill racing becoming an Olympic event?
It would be awesome! The Winter Games have already embraced many nontraditional Olympic events, like snow- boarding and half-pipe. The Summer Games seem to be lagging behind. Downhill would be a great step towards helping the Summer Olympics appeal to the younger generation.
How would downhill racing as a sport be affected if it became an Olympic event?
Becoming an Olympic event gives instant credibility and recognition to any sport. That said, it also comes with a lot of rules and regulations that downhillers probably are not currently burdened with. I think it would be a huge positive for the sport of downhill and the athletes who compete in it.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME AN OLYMPIC SPORT?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) first looks at the history and tradition of the sport, as well as the popularity and overall cost. The IOC may look into the possibility of sharing venues with other sports, TV viewership, current number of spectators and other criteria. If the IOC recognizes a sport, it is put on a list. Then the International Sports Federations (IFs) further review the sport. The IFs look into the value the sport would add to the Olympic Games, the sport’s governing body and the sport’s history of world champion- ships. Many other things are also considered, and a final vote brings the sport into the Olympic program. Currently, 28 sports are locked in for the 2016 Olympic Games with many more sports on the waiting list. At the moment, downhill racing is not even on that list; however, the original 1896 Olympics only offered nine events, and by 1968 the Olympics held in Mexico City had doubled that number. Along with adding events, the IFs have the power to vote out less popular sports for new and more exciting sports.
Downhill racing has a ton of hoops to jump through to become a recognized Olympic sport, and it’s hard to tell in what ways the sport could be affected. To answer this question, we polled a few top pros to get some insight on this topic.
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