| Signifying the International Olympic Committee's | | | | freestyle competitions, mechanisms that allow the |
| growing efforts to appeal to a younger generation by | | | | handlebars to be spun completely around. At the X |
| showcasing competitions and athletes they are familiar | | | | Games, BMX is an all encompassing discipline that |
| with, the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will feature | | | | includes BMX racing and freestyle BMX competitions. |
| BMX racing. It's true, BMX is now an official Olympic | | | | Included in the freestyle disciples of BMX are half pipe |
| sport; joining the ranks of snowboarding half pipe | | | | (vert) competitions in which competitors ride the half |
| competitions and snowboarding races now as official | | | | pipe performing complex tricks, spins and flips at each |
| Olympic sports. The IOC is appealing to the youth in an | | | | side and street competitions in which a series of |
| attempt to reverse the trend of seeing the Olympics | | | | ramps, boxes, rails and other obstacles are |
| as boring or for older people only. | | | | incorporated into a park course and competitors can |
| BMX, short for bicycle motorcross, has been around | | | | choose where and how they want to perform their |
| since the 1960s and the International BMX Federation | | | | tricks. The goal in the street competition is usually to |
| was formed in 1981. In the last decade the sport has | | | | perform as wide a variety of tricks off of as wide a |
| exponentially grown in popularity due in large part to | | | | variety of obstacles as possible. In the half pipe |
| televised competitions such as the X Games. BMX | | | | competitions, factors such as getting the biggest air |
| bikes are designed differently from other types of | | | | (how high you soar above the half pipe on your jumps) |
| bicycles, typically with very small wheels and in | | | | and trick variety are important. |