Cyclists Criticise 2012 Changes

A number of top British cyclists have reacted angrily to plans by the London 2012 organisers to cut certain events from the sport’s schedule for the Games.

Cyclists including Beijing 2008 gold medal winners Rebecca Romero and Geraint Thomas have labelled proposed changes to the Olympic track cycling programme ‘unnecessary’.

Organisers want to cut the individual pursuit, the points race and the madison from the Games ahead of 2012.

There are currently seven male and three female track events, but the plans would remove the men’s and women’s individual pursuits, men’s and women’s points races, and the men’s Madison.

The Olympic programme would instead focus on sprints, keirins, team sprints, team pursuits and omniums for both sexes.

The proposals, intended to ensure both genders compete in an equal number of events, are set to be ratified by the International Olympic Committee in December.

‘I’m all in favour of making it fairer between males and females, but I just think these proposed changes are ludicrous and could potentially destroy track cycling,’ stated Romero.

‘I thought changes to the Olympic programme were supposed to create inclusion and I just see that it will create exclusion to have such big changes.

‘If the IOC let it go through then there has to be some reasoning behind it – I’d like to have it explained to me.

‘I think we should move towards equality between males and females in the medals available, but I just think this isn’t equality in terms of sprint and endurance riders.

“You’re taking away, essentially, with regards to the individual pursuit, one of the purest forms of competition that there is on the track for an athlete. I’m just disappointed that I won’t be able to go and defend my title in London.’

British Cycling has already implemented the proposed changes into their programme, leading Romero to withdraw from last week’s British Championships and this week’s Track World Cup, which begins at the Manchester Velodrome this week.