Michel Barnier, appointed by the government to oversee the 2030 Olympic Games, favored cyclocross as a demonstration sport at the winter event to be held in the French Alps.

Could Mathieu Van der Poel or Wout Van Aert take part in the Winter Olympics? In an interview with L’Équipe, Barnier was asked about the complementary sports that could be included in the 2030 edition, with a limit of three disciplines. “We can imagine, and it is a desire of the cycling federation, that cyclo-cross would be a demonstration sport,” the former prime minister said. “The idea that Tom Pidcock, for example, could be a medalist in both summer and winter would be interesting. I was very impressed by the popular success of cyclo-cross. The Games should be popular. Freeride and ice climbing could also be included.”

CYCLOCROSS ON SNOW

The Olympic Charter states in its rule 6.2 that “only those sports that are practiced on snow or ice are considered winter sports.” Faced with this restriction, the International Cycling Union (UCI) has tried to adapt the discipline by organizing from 2021 stages of the cyclocross on snow World Cup in Val di Sole, Italy. This initiative could pave the way for cyclocross to make its debut at an Olympic Winter Games.