Tokyo 2020; New in 2020: BMX Freestyle Park

The field of play, or “park” in which BMX Freestyle Park competitions take place, must be a minimum of 15 metres wide and 25 metres long. Also, neither the width nor the length of the park can be greater than 60 metres.

A safety zone of at least 2 metres must surround all sides of the park where a rider or bicycle could be ejected from within it. No person other than accredited staff and riders entered in the competition are permitted to stay in the safety zone.

The park can be all at the same level (ground level), or spread across several different levels raised above the others. However, the base or ground area of each such level where the obstacles sit shall be flat and must be built of a material that is hard enough to allow the riders to preserve their momentum.

A safety barrier or equivalent fall protection is needed at any edge of a raised level which is also an outside edge of the park. This must be built in a way so as to not impair the full use of the park by the riders, nor put their safety at risk.

The field of play must contain a minimum of 3 obstacles. An obstacle is any feature within the park which is raised above the level where it sits. This can include the walls of the park, if any.

Obstacles that have their base above ground level must be at least 2 metres wide; again, the 2 metres safety zone must be maintained. Such obstacles may also be connected as described above.

A distance of at least 5 metres (which includes the 2 metre safety zones of both obstacles) should separate obstacles that are not connected to each other. Distances shall always be measured along the shortest path from the point at which obstacles begin to rise from or fall back to ground level, following the intended path of the riders in using the obstacle.

Ramps, as well as the ground surface between them, must be built from a sufficiently hard and even surface which provides good traction for bicycle tires, such as wood or concrete; regardless of the materials used, such surfaces must not have any significant defects such as gaps, bumps, or holes.

 

Source: UCI