Van der Poel and CX welcome at 2030 Winter Olympics, but only if UCI foregoes IOC revenue

That condition explains much of the resistance that has surrounded the proposal in recent months. While the debate has often been framed around tradition and whether the disciplines truly belong on snow and ice, the real fault line has been financial.

Under the current system, the International Olympic Committee redistributes a substantial share of Winter Games revenues to the international federations already on the programme, including the International Skating Union, International Ski Federation and International Biathlon Union. Those organisations have made clear that they do not want that pool diluted by the arrival of new sports governed by bodies outside the winter ecosystem.

According to Het Nieuwsblad, these winter federations would be prepared to drop their objections if the UCI and World Athletics agree not to claim any additional financial compensation from the IOC.

Across the peloton, the signals have been mixed when it comes to cyclocross joining the Olympic programme.

Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Puck Pieterse have backed the UCI’s push. “We asked them to make a video, which we could send to the organising committee of the 2030 Winter Games and also to the IOC,” UCI Sports Director Peter Van den Abeele revealed in November.

Thibau Nys, by contrast, has been more cautious.

On paper, he should be all in. He is becoming one of the main names in cyclocross, and if the sport reaches the 2030 Winter Games, it is his generation that would be in the frame. But he is not sure that is where cyclocross should be heading.

“I think we should look closer to home at where things are going wrong and try to make the sport bigger that way, instead of forcing it onto the Games,” Nys said.

Earlier reports have stated that the decision will not be taken at the upcoming IOC session this month, and the saga will instead reach its conclusion in the summer.