Eindhoven is the proud organiser of the European BMX Freestyle Championship in 2025. The spectacular event, which is being held in the Netherlands for the first time, should also teach young people what it is like to ‘fall flat on their face’ more often.
An elated mood on Wednesday at skatepark Area 51 on Strijp-S. A whole delegation was gathered there to announce that Eindhoven will be the host city of the European BMX Freestyle Championships in 2025. According to alderman Maes van Lanschot, the arrival of the European Championships is the ‘crowning’ of all the energy and effort that Eindhoven has put into urban sports in recent years. “As a city, we are very happy that such an event is being held here. It is spectacular to watch, but more importantly: it inspires young people to exercise more.”
Adrenaline
Fifteen-year-old Indy, who recently moved to a special home for underage Summa students who excel in their sport, hopes to compete in the European Championships next year. She started with BMX Freestyle because of her brother, who did motocross and hung around a lot on motocross tracks. Indy was still too young for a motorbike, but on the bike she turned out to be a natural talent. “You really get adrenaline from the sport and you feel very free. I can recommend it to everyone.”
Fall on your face
To maximise the social impact of the EC BMX Freestyle, the organisation More2Win has developed a special program for Eindhoven. The theme is: ‘Dare to fall flat on your face’.
The younger generations no longer learn to fall and get up again, because parents want to protect them from all dangers. Michiel van Rijn-van Alkemade of the organisation: “We want to show them that it is not at all bad to fall on your face every now and then. That is why we are going to give BMX clinics at schools. We are also going to investigate together with the municipality whether more risks can be built into the playgrounds in the city. That is very important for the development of young people.”
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
