Bicycle Motocross or BMX is a name of a cycling sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in Motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles.
Since January 1993 the global governing body of BMX has been the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). UCI is the sole owner of the UCI BMX World Championships, which are held every year, and also sole owner of the premiere BMX World Cup race series in the world - the UCI BMX Supercross.
History
BMX started in the early seventies when kids began racing their bicycles on dirt tracks in Southern California, drawing inspiration from the motocross superstars of the time. The size and availability of the Schwinn Sting-Ray made it the natural bike of choice, since they were easily customized for better handling and performance. BMX racing was a phenomenon by the mid-1970s.[4] Children were racing standard road bikes off-road, around purpose-built tracks in California.[5] The 1971 motorcycle racing documentary On Any Sunday is generally credited with inspiring the movement nationally in the US; its opening scene shows kids riding their Schwinn Stingrays off-road. By the middle of that decade the sport achieved critical mass, and manufacturers began creating bicycles designed especially for the sport.
BMX has also become popular in the UK. The UK also holds an annual BMX championships and the winner will become the best in the whole of the UK and will normally get scouted to do events in the US such as the X-Games, Gravity-Games and the AST dew tour.
By 1977, the American Bicycle Association (ABA) was organized as a national sanctioning body for the growing sport. In April 1981, the International BMX Federation was founded, and the first world championships were held in 1982. Since January 1993 BMX has been integrated into the Union Cycliste Internationale.[6]
Child sport of Bicycle Motocross - Freestyle BMX is now one of the staple events at the annual Summer X Games Extreme Sports competition and the ETNIES backyard jam, held largely on both coasts of the United States. The popularity of the sport has increased due to its relative ease and availability of places to ride and do tricks.
In 2003, the International Olympic Committee made BMX a full medal Olympic sport for 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China
