National BMX Freestyle Park inaugurated on the Gold Coast

Aiming to drive the expansion of the sport, the National BMX Freestyle Park has been officially opened on the Gold Coast.

The Carrara facility has been developed to help riders master their skills and tricks ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Opened yesterday, the new international standard Hurricane facility was built in China and will be the first competition standard course in Australia, with Hurricane holding the rights to host Olympic and UCI BMX Freestyle events until the end of 2028.

The state-of-the-art facility can create up to four different courses, with the current setup featuring an abundance of transfers and the most fun features.

Speaking at the opening, AusCycling Chief Executive, Marne Fechner stated “since Logan (Martin)’s win in Tokyo, the growth of BMX Freestyle has accelerated, and this park, along with our programs, will be a key focal point in attracting more young people to the sport.”

The National Freestyle BMX Park features walls of up to 5.2 metres high and includes quarter pipes, big spine, step up, fat spine, box jump, half bowl and transfers.

The new facility will complement the separate AusCycling BMX Freestyle Training Centre that was opened two months ago. The indoor training centre has been built at the Gold Coast Sports Precinct and will form part of the National Centre of Excellence for BMX Freestyle.

This Centre will see new skills and principles explored within the Training Centre but then executed outside on the competition course, a process that should allow riders to progress and transition with calculated risk.

In the short term, the National Centre will focus on the elite and competition side of the sport, with development opportunities on the horizon.

Images: The opening of the National BMX Freestyle Park on the Gold Coast. Lower image shows Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (in grey jacket) helping cut the ribbon. Credit: AusCycling.