BMX cycling made its official Olympic debut in Beijing 2008, and will once again be included on the Olympic program in London. The discipline features two events, one for men and one for women, and will be held on a 400 metre circuit located next to the velodrome in the north of the Olympic Park in London.

London 2012 Storylines:
Canada's medal chances took a major hit when Samantha "Sam" Cools announced her retirement in June due to the lingering effects of injuries.  Cools grew up in a family devoted to BMX, as her father built the local track, and Sam followed two older brothers into the sport. One brother, Ken, works with the New Zealand BMX national team, and is the coach to one of Sam's top competitors in Sarah Walker, the 2009 World Champion and 2010 World silver medallist.

Shanaze Reade is a three-time World Champion in BMX for Great Britain. The multi-discipline cyclist could also compete in track cycling for the host nation, in which she is a two-time World Champion in the team sprint.

Canada's Outlook:
With the retirement of Cools, the focus of the hopes of Canada's BMX team fall on the shoulders or rising young talent Tory Nyhaug. He posted a career-best fourth place at the 2011 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup event in Holland and claimed victory a few days later at the 2011 Canadian BMX Open in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

International Athletes – At a Glance:

Men

Maris Strombergs – Latvia

• 2008 Olympic Champion
• 2008 and 2010 World Champion
• 2011 World Championships silver medallist

• 2009 World Champion
• 2008 Olympic bronze medallist

• Three-time World Champion (2007, 2008, 2010)

• 2009 World Champion; 2007, 2010 and 2011 World silver medallist
• Finished 4th at the 2008 Olympic Games