BMXers refuse to test Rio 2016 course at scheduled test event, citing dangerous track conditions
On Saturday, a plan to have several of the world's top BMX riders test out the new Rio 2016 track stalled, with the event now pushed back to Sunday.
On Saturday, a plan to have several of the world’s top BMX riders test out the new Rio 2016 track stalled, with the event now pushed back to Sunday. The reason, reports indicate, doesn’t reflect a good deal of confidence in the BMX facilities of next year’s Oympics.
Put simply, riders refused to race because they claimed the course itself was unsafe.
One of the BMXers scheduled to participate was Liam Phillips of Great Britain, who, the BBC reported, took to Instagram to describe what they claimed was an unsafe, sub-par track. “We shouldn’t have to ‘race’ on such sub-standard tracks,” he said via social media, noting that some of the larger jumps on the course were just too dangerous to be acceptable.
Today we stood united & that makes me proud. I expressed my views regarding the safety of the track… https://t.co/B68w8FrRwB
— Liam PHILLIPS (@liamPHILLIPS65) October 2, 2015
“Although I feel the sport took a step backwards today with the riders refusing to ride,” the BMX Superross World Cup winner and 2013 world champion said, “it was extremely necessary for the riders’ safety. We, more than anyone else, want a platform to showcase the sport of BMX.”
Saturday’s scheduled test event will instead happen on Sunday, on a re-worked course.
