Skateboarding had been proposed by the international cycling federation UCI as a potential addition to the programme for 2012, a development welcomed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) who are keen to broaden the appeal of the Games to more youngsters.

 

But the discipline has yet to be officially recognised by the UCI, meaning it cannot be included in the 2012 Games.

 

The decision is unlikely to be mourned by professional skateboarders, who were always against the potential inclusion of their sport in the Olympics.

 

Instead the UCI are likely to propose instead the inclusion of BMX freestyling, a discipline which involves doing tricks on bikes originally developed for bicycle motocross racing.