Could motorcycling appear at the Olympic Games?

You won’t find it at the modern Olympics, however. Unless you count the dinky derny that leads cyclists around the track. Should the skill found in so many disciplines of riding go unrepresented at the international Games?

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (International Motorcycling Federation, or FIM) wants to change that with a bid for a new event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Not roadracing, nor Supercross, nor flat-track. No, the FIM is rallying behind an unlikely hero, electric trials, to officially advance motorcycling into the Olympic Games, which is a pretty big deal.

If you’re new to motorcycle trials, also called trials riding or observed trials, riders must complete an obstacle course without putting a foot down or otherwise touching the ground. Completion of the course is made possible with specialized trials bikes and incredible control of the machine.

Trials riding is awfully niche here in America, though Europeans enjoy it in greater numbers. Many riders use trials for cross-training to develop better control and balance. Obstacles can be natural or man-made, and even a small course can be very difficult with a cunningly plotted route.

The International Olympic Committee is not interested in promoting internal combustion. Regular trials bikes, or any ICE motorcycles, for that matter, will not compete at the Olympics under the current IOC’s direction. But an electric vehicle could stand a chance. That’s where the electric trials motorcycle comes in.

As I wrote in our first look at Yamaha’s TY-E trials concept, electric power is a good match for trials riding. The events don’t require long running times, and they’re low-speed, as well. An electric motor’s instant torque, combined with just enough battery to complete the course, can make for ultralight, ultra-precise machines. Now, put them in the hands of the world’s best trials riders at the Olympics, and I think that’d be a fascinating event. I admit to something of a bias, though.

So what criteria does a new Olympic event need to meet? Newcomers to the 2018 Winter Olympics were chosen by the IOC based on “added value; youth appeal; attractiveness for TV, media and the general public; gender equality; minimum impact on the number of events and/or quotas, infrastructure and operational costs and complexity.” A trials competition could plausibly satisfy all these points. The FIM’s idea might just work. And these bikes are getting pretty good!

The problem is that motorcycling isn’t alone in trying to go Olympic. We face some fierce competition for a coveted spot at the 2024 Games: speed chess, snooker, squash, and French lawn bowling, which I’ve never even heard of. 2020’s newest arrivals include Olympic upstarts karate, sport climbing, skateboarding, surfing, and baseball/softball. There’s a catch: They’re all on a 2020-only deal, and they’ll have to make 2024 bids of their own, too. One final obstacle is the increasing interest in the other e-sports (as in gaming). The IOC can only put on so many events.

Again, I’m working with a slight bias here, but electric trials seems like a real contender for a spot in ‘24. The spectacle of trials riding at the highest levels cannot be understated. Add the Olympic Games’ commitments to renewable energy and the global shift towards electric vehicles, and I think electric trials makes a compelling case for itself. I can only hope that its inclusion would reflect well on motorcycling and grow our sport, or whatever you want to call it.

If anyone needs me, I’ll be out looking for an electric trials bike to try for myself.