Cyclocross could be added to the Winter Olympics by 2030 in France, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has predicted, alongside cross-country running and judo in a bid to keep the Games relevant.
This isn’t the first time adding cyclocross to the Winter Olympics has been suggested, with World Athletics and the UCI holding talks about its inclusion last year.
But Coe is reported to be increasingly optimistic it will be added to the Games due to the support of the new International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Kirsty Coventry, and UCI president, David Lappartient, according to the Guardian.
Coe, who is part of the IOC’s “fit for the future” working group, says: “I think there’s a good chance it’ll happen. And I think it’s come at the right moment, because Kirsty is certainly prepared to think differently about the programme, and what could go out of the stadium, and that mix between winter and summer.”
Following conversations with Lappartient, Coe says there was already a provisional plan to have the cyclocross and cross-country running on the same course in the French Alps.
“I’ve always wanted to see cross-country back in for all sorts of reasons. Some are emotional. But it also gives Africa a proper presence in the winter Games, which, if we are being honest, it doesn’t really have,” Coe says.
“And sharing the same course in 2030 with cyclocross is really where our thinking is going. We’ve already had good conversations.”
There is movement elsewhere towards adding cyclocross to the 2030 Winter Olympics. La Planche des Belles Filles submitted a formal bid to host the discipline, L'Équipe revealed in June.
One of the iconic features of the Tour de France, La Planche des Belles Filles has positioned itself as a potential venue for cyclocross at the 2030 Games.
Documents obtained by L'Équipe revealed the application promised to deliver “an unforgettable venue” to enhance the image of the winter Olympics.
Thibaut Pinot is among the backers of the project, and is said to be ready to come out of retirement. “One day in February 2030, I'll finally get my victory at La Planche,” the three-time Tour de France stage winner said in the dossier.
Lappartient is said to support the bid, alongside former French prime minister Michel Barnier, who attended the 2025 Cyclocross World Championships, hosted in Lievin, France. “I was very impressed by the popular success of cyclocross,” Barnier said at the time.
