The European Olympic Committees (EOC) and the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC) have announced the inclusion of two cycling events -- Mountain Biking and Freestyle BMX -- on the sports programme for the third edition of the European Games in Kraków-Małopolska.
This will be the third appearance for cycling at the European Games after featuring in the inaugural edition of the Games at Baku 2015 and the second edition at Minsk 2019.
This time around for 2023, Mountain Biking and Freestyle BMX will take center stage in Poland, with both events acting as European Championships and offering ranking points to athletes attempting to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
"Cycling has been a great partner of the EOC and the European Games, and we are very pleased to again welcome them to the programme for Kraków-Małopolska 2023," said Chair of the EOC Coordination Commission Hasan Arat (TUR). "With the European Games not only acting as the European Championships for these two disciplines but offering qualification opportunities for the Olympic Games 2024, we are looking forward to having the best cyclists in Europe with us in Poland in the summer of 2023."
Announcing the inclusion of cycling on the European Games 2023 programme, new UEC President Enrico Della Casa said: "In 2023, we will also be part of the European Games programme with two of the most attractive and spectacular disciplines in cycling: BMX Freestyle Park, which will be making its debut at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and MTB Cross-Country, which has always been very popular with TV audiences.
"Thanks to our close working relationship with the European Olympic Committees, we will also be engaged in the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) Banska Bystrica 2022 and we appreciate the potential and value of such great events," Della Casa continued.
"We are certain that in 2023, cycling fans all over Europe and elsewhere will enjoy watching such a highly competitive event and much more."
The European Games are the continent’s premier multisport event for elite athletes and are held every four years. The European Games Kraków-Małopolska 2023 are set to include roughly two dozen Olympic and non-Olympic sports. Cycling joins archery, badminton, beach handball, boxing, canoe, karate, modern pentathlon, muaythai, shooting, sports climbing, taekwondo and triathlon on the 2023 programme, with more sports set to follow in the coming weeks.
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