Cycling Pushing for Greater Presence at Tokyo 2020 -- ATRadio

(ATR) International Cycling Union president Brian Cookson tells Around the Rings the federation is seeking a number of additions to its Olympic program at the next Summer Games in Japan.

"I’m hopeful we may well be able to see an increase in the number of medals available for the track discipline, and we’ll also have a look at other innovations," Cookson tells ATR Editor Ed Hula on the sidelines of the 2017 SportAccord Convention.

Cookson says the UCI will determine "whether the time is ready to bring BMX freestyle into the Games, whether we can look at some other adjustments here and there in the road program and the mountain bike and BMX programs as well".

The International Olympic Committee is in the process of finalizing the events program for Tokyo 2020. This process was made more difficult with the addition of five sports that could cause athlete quotas to shrink across the board. Despite the addition of sports, Cookson and the UCI are still seeking more medal events and athlete quotas for their disciplines.

The UCI is also in the process of finalizing the venues that will stage the various cycling disciplines at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with Cookson expressing a bit of disappointment that track cycling will take place in Izu.

"Well the track will be out at Izu, which is a couple of hours by train outside of Tokyo, which is not ideal but it’s something we’re going to have to live with," he tells ATR.

Cookson also talks about his sport's efforts to combat the doping and the 2024 Olympic bid race. Listen below for more from the interview with Cookson and Hula:

Written by Kevin Nutley

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