UCI president: ‘With climate change in mind, cyclo-cross is a good addition to the Olympic Winter Games’

The 2030 Winter Games are scheduled for the French Alps. In that edition, cyclocross could potentially appear as a demonstration discipline first, with the possibility of becoming an official medal event in later Games. The 2034 Winter Olympics are set for Salt Lake City, while Switzerland is widely seen as a leading candidate to host in 2038.

The IOC recently launched a working group called Fit for the Future, which is looking at the sports programme as well as scheduling. One of the key drivers is climate change: fewer regions are reliably cold and snow-secure in the second half of February, prompting proposals to move the Winter Olympics forward by roughly a month.

Karl Stoss, who heads that IOC Olympic Programme working group, confirmed to Reuters that the option is also on the table to add sports — or shift certain disciplines — from the Summer Olympics to the Winter Olympics. “We are reviewing the size of the Games, the mix of sports, options for new additions. We also look at potential crossover between summer and winter sports,” Stoss said.

Cycling and running disciplines are often mentioned in that context — including cyclo-cross and cross-country running — which would bring both the UCI and World Athletics further into the Winter Olympic picture. Some traditional winter-sport federations are cautious, arguing it could dilute the Winter Games’ identity, but Lappartient is firmly in favour.

“I truly believe that also with a climate change, to have some winter disciplines like cyclocross within the Games could be a good asset for two reasons,” Lappartient told Reuters. He added: “So we can potentially extend to address also climate change to maybe bring more universality, to bring also stars,” pointing to cyclo-cross’ popularity and its ability to attract headline riders and audiences.