Turns out ‘cross ain’t coming to the Olympics after all

And just like that, the ongoing dream of ‘cross at the Olympics is dead.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has ruled out adding ‘summer’ sports to the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, ending speculation that events such as cyclocross could make their Olympic debut in the Winter Games.

According to Reuters, the IOC had spent the past year reviewing possible ways to boost interest and participation in the Winter Olympics, including the idea of introducing crossover disciplines from summer sports. Among the concepts discussed were cycling and running events adapted for snow or cross-country terrain. (That is, ‘cross and cross-country running.)

IOC says nope

“For 2030 we have taken the decision, no crossover sports, no summer sports,” IOC president Kirsty Coventry said Thursday. (Although to say that cyclocross is a summer sport is a bit odd. Still, it was in line with the rule that every sport on the Winter Olympic program must be contested on snow or ice.
Coventry added that any future changes would only be considered beginning with the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

“The Olympic programme commission … will look at all avenues, and that would potentially lend itself to 2034,” she said.

The idea has been floated around for years. Every now and then it would pop up and there were those in the ‘cross world who thought it would be great.

At one point former ‘cross star Sven Nys said,“If our sport becomes an Olympic sport, the sky’s the limit. Then all the federations will wake up and put money into cyclocross again. Now that’s only in Belgium and the Netherlands.”

Not everyone loved it, though. The late Gian Franco Kasper, then president of the International Ski Federation and a member of the IOC was not a fan of the the idea of cyclocross being at the Games. “I’ll be completely honest: I think it’s totally ridiculous,” Kasper said at the time. “Winter sports are built around a simple principle, they take place on snow or ice. We’re not interested in adding other sports, even if they can be practiced year-round.”