Winter Olympics sports resist push to add cyclocross and cross-country running to their program

GENEVA -- Organizers of accepted snowfall and crystal sports said Wednesday they bash not privation events from summertime federations added to their Winter Olympics program.

Cyclocross and cross-country moving — adjacent indoors sports — person been suggested arsenic additions to the Winter Games for the 2030 Olympics hosted successful the French Alps and Nice.

Those would beryllium unwelcome “piecemeal proposals,” the Winter Olympic Federations radical of governing bodies said successful a statement.

“The Winter Olympic Federations are steadfast successful our content that specified an attack would dilute the brand, heritage, and individuality that marque the Olympic Winter Games unsocial — a solemnisation of sports practiced connected snowfall and ice, with chiseled culture, athletes, and fields of play,” said the radical of sports including skiing, skating, biathlon, curling, luge, bobsled and skeleton.

A reappraisal of the Winter Games programme and different issues was started by International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry aft she formally took bureau successful June.

The wintertime programme with conscionable 116 medal events has country to grow compared with the squeezed Summer Games which had 329 successful Paris past year.

Adding cyclocross and cross-country running, which typically are raced connected mud, would mean amending the IOC’s Olympic Charter rules which necessitate Winter Games sports to beryllium played connected snowfall and ice.

“Innovation should absorption connected evolving existing wintertime sports to pull broader information and audiences portion enhancing the entreaty of the Olympic Winter Games,” said Ivo Ferriani, who represents wintertime sports connected the IOC enforcement committee arsenic president of the bobsled and skeleton federation.

Ferriani noted the summation of skis mountaineering, oregon skimo, which makes its Olympic debut successful February astatine the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

Cyclocross and cross-country moving person influential supporters successful Olympic circles which created momentum toward a connection for 2030.

The presidents of the governing bodies of cycling and way and tract — David Lappartient and Sebastian Coe, respectively — some were candidates successful the IOC predetermination won by Coventry.

Still, the connection did not person the apical authoritative astatine the International Biathlon Union.

“If they were ace fashionable sports they would already beryllium successful the Summer Games, and they’re not,” Max Cobb, the American caput wide of the IBU, told The Associated Press successful a caller interrogation astir absorption among wintertime sports.

“There wasn’t anybody thinking, ‘Oh, what a bully idea.’ We’re each scratching our head,” Cobb said successful Lausanne, stressing immoderate Winter Games additions should travel from “the household of snowfall and crystal sports.”

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