BMX Vert and Park events, along with the Skateboard Park, "will not be contested" at X Games L.A. this year, according to Colin Bane of ESPN.com. The changes mark the "first time BMX Vert and Park have been missing from the X Games lineup since the first Extreme Games in Newport, R.I., in 1995." Eliminating BMX Park and Skateboard Park "removes one additional contest venue and two televised events from the equation as the city concludes its 11-year run hosting the X Games." Moto X Freestyle and Moto X Best Trick also are "out of the lineup" in L.A. this year. ESPN Senior Dir of Content Strategy Tim Reed said that despite the "removal of the moto, skateboard and BMX events, X Games is not scaling back the Los Angeles event, and said a full list of X Games L.A. disciplines, sports and venues will be announced shortly." BMX Vert Gold Medalist Jamie Bestwick said, "BMX Vert and BMX Park are synonymous with the X Games and have been from the start, and for the last decade the L.A. event has been the big show. For me, losing two BMX events from the L.A. stop feels like it could be detrimental to both BMX and to the X Games, but these are not battles for me to fight. ... For now, the best we can do is trust that this decision wasn't made lightly" (ESPN.com,5/2).
