January 20, 2008 – The International Cycling Union (UCI) has given the National Olympic Committees (NOC) confirmation of the number of places each of them has obtained for the mountain bike events at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

According to criterion 1 (UCI ranking by nation) which was finalized on December 31st 2007, and criterion 2 (2007 Continental Championships), 32 nations in the Elite Men category and 22 nations in the Elite Women category will be represented at the Beijing Olympic Games.

A total of 80 places have been awarded: 50 Elite Men and 30 Elite Women for a total of 35 nations.

The number of countries qualified according to criterion 1 increases from 22 at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games to 24 in Beijing for the mens’ category, and from 14 to 18 for the women. This increase is a result of modifications to the qualifying system that encourage a more universal participation.

The NOCs have until June 20th 2008 to confirm their qualification places. Any vacant places will be awarded by a tripartite commission made up of the IOC, ANOC and UCI.

Click here to view the table summarizing the qualifying places for men and women (PDF).

MTB Course

The International Cycling Union (UCI) is pleased to present the Olympic cross-country mountain bike course for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The course lay-out and profile, as well as about 30 photos, can be viewed here