Aussies to grind UCI BMX Racing World Championships
More than 1000 BMX racers will represent Australia at the upcoming UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Brisbane, including some special appearances from young Territorians
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Australia’s best BMX racers are set to compete on the world stage in Brisbane next month at the 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Championships.
A thousand-strong group of riders will don the green and gold at the event from July 17 -25, with 103 clubs represented nationwide.
According to UCI, Macarthur BMX Club in NSW has the biggest contingent* of riders with 48 qualification spots. Cairns BMX Club has the second largest with 42 riders and Castle Hill BMX Club has 38.
This year’s championships will be a special competition for the Northern Territory, which will be represented by a contingent of 22 riders – many having never received professional coaching.
Satellite City BMX Club will field the largest Northern Territory contingent with 15 riders, joined by riders from Darwin-based Jingili BMX Club, Nhulunbuy BMX Club in East Arnhem Land, Big Rivers BMX Club in Katherine, and Red Centre BMX Club in Alice Springs.
It will be a memorable event for siblings Alex and Katie King from Nhulunbuy as they head to the world championships together.
Alex King qualified in two categories at the 2026 BMX Racing National Championships, finishing third in the 13-14 Boys Cruiser class and 12th in the under-14 20-inch class while Katie qualified 13th in the under-11 Girls 20-inch.
“It’s wonderful,” their mum Jo King said.
“The fact that they both (Alex and Katie) get to represent Australia and wear the green and gold together in a sport that they love is beautiful for both of them.
“They’re going to have those memories forever and they’re going to have bragging rights forever.
“They don’t have any professional coaches here in Nhulunbuy, they’ve completely and totally trained themselves, the commitment and the dedication that they’ve put in to get them across the line is huge.
“Everywhere else in Australia they’ve got professional coaches and proper gyms and gym sessions and everything, where these kids just get on their bike and send it.”
Satellite City BMX Club secretary Jenna Smith said it was a source of pride to see so many of their club people representing Australia at the competition.
“We’re proud not just of our riders attending Worlds, but of everything it took to get there,” she said.
“Their commitment, resilience* and drive has been exceptional.”
Jingili BMX Club president Daniel Yujnovich said the whole club was proud of its riders who had qualified for the competition.
“To have six riders from our club earn the opportunity to compete on the world stage is something we are extremely proud of,” he said.
“It highlights the strength of BMX Racing in the Northern Territory and reflects the hard work, dedication and commitment these riders, their families and their coaches have put in over many years.
“We would also like to congratulate all the Territory riders who have qualified for the world championships.
“Representing Australia at this level is a remarkable accomplishment, and we know each rider will do the Territory proud.”
POLL
GLOSSARY
- contingent: a representative group of people
- resilience: the ability to bounce back when things get challenging
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QUICK QUIZ
1. Why is it particularly special for so many riders from remote parts of the NT to make the BMX Racing World Championships?
2. What are three characteristics that Satellite City BMX Club secretary Jenna Smith said the competitors possessed?
3. What other skills or attributes do you think would help BMX racers excel in their sport?
4. Why do you think the largest contingents of BMX riders are from highly populated places?
5. There are two different classes of BMX racing mentioned in the article. Read it carefully – can you identify what the two different types are called? (Hint Alex King qualified in both categories.)
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What do they need?
What are the physical and mental skills that a top BMX racer needs to be a World Champion? Think about what a racer does in a competition (use your research skills if you need to). Write a list of as many skills that you think are important.
Time: Spend at least 40 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education
2. Extension
What should be the most important thing that our BMX Racers should take away from the World Championships – memories or bragging rights? Write at least two very convincing paragraphs giving your opinion on this question.
Time: Spend at least 30 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there during the 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Championships.
Create a conversation between two competitors about the event. Think about the experiences they could have gone through and the emotions they would have felt while living out their BMX dreams.
Alternatively, you could pretend you are a sports journalist and create a conversation between yourself and one of the competitors in the form of an interview. Think about good questions to ask the competitor that will bring out their experience of the event as well as the preparation they took to get there. What details will the competitor reveal about themselves in their responses?
Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.
Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.