The process and crieria to qualify for the UCI BMX World Championships depends on whether you are a Challenge (Amateur) rider or a Championship (Elite, U23, Junior Elite) rider.  

CHALLENGE RIDER QUALIFICATION

To ride at Worlds for NZ you must be a NZ citizen and then you can qualify by finishing top 8 in the BMXNZ National Champs either the year of the Worlds event or the year prior. An alternative pathway is by applying for a wild card entry through BMXNZ when entries open, typically May or March if in an Olympic year.

Standard 20 Inch age group categories for Worlds are as follows:  

• Boys – ages: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16;  
  
• Girls – ages: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16;  
  
• Men – ages: 17-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35 and over and Masters
  
• Women – ages: 17-24, 25 and over.  
  

Cruiser 24-Inch age group categories for Worlds are as follows:

• Boys – ages: 12 and under, 13 and 14, 15 and 16;  
  
• Girls – ages: 12 and under; 13 – 16 (2 categories)
  
• Men – ages: 17-24, 25-29, 30 - 34, 35 - 39, 40 - 44, 45-49, 50 and over;
  
• Women – ages: 17-29, 30-39, 40 and over.  
  

Riders licensed in the Masters category level for Standard 20 Inch are allowed to participate in the Cruiser 24-inch category corresponding to their age.  

Under 8’s are no longer eligible to enter Worlds. 

More details on participating at Worlds as a Challenge Rider are in the Challenge Travel Guide document 

CHAMPIONSHIP RIDER QUALIFICATION

Quotas

UCI limits the numbers of Championship riders able to compete at the World Championships.  This process is managed through a quota system based on Nation and individual rankings as described below.  

For Men Elite, Women Elite, Men Under 23, Women Under 23, Men Juniors and Women Juniors, the maximum number of riders for each category is determined based on the UCI Individual BMX Racing ranking by nation for each such category on 31st December of the preceding season. 

*The automatically qualified riders mentioned above are entered in addition to the quota allowed in this table  

• Top 8 Men Elite in the UCI BMX Racing individual ranking of 31 December of the preceding season;
  
• Top 8 Women Elite in the UCI BMX Racing individual ranking of 31 December of the preceding season.  
  

These riders are automatically qualified for the UCI world championships and cannot be replaced by another rider. .

** The host nation shall qualify 2 riders in each category where it has not already qualified above using the ranking by nation.  

*** All other nations shall qualify 1 rider in each category where it has not already qualified above using the ranking by nation. 

Selection

With limited rider places available at World Championships, allocation of riders to available spaces is by a selection process managed by a Cycling NZ selection panel.  Detailed selection criteria and process by rider class, typically published in November/December each year for the following years’ selection, can be found here for 2024. 

Criteria Summary

All Championship athletes seeking selection to the World Championship Team must:  

• Complete the Athlete application process by providing all the information requested in the online Rider Application Form by the cut-off date; and  
  
• Typically, participate in the BMX New Zealand National Championships unless non-participation is agreed to in writing by the High-Performance Director (HPD) or designate.  There is no obligation on the Selection Panel to fill the maximum number of positions specified by the UCI pursuant to the UCI BMX World Championships participation rules.  

Participation at the BMX World Championships is dependent on athletes being able to fund themselves.