Crankworx Responds To Men's Slopestyle Strike
On Friday afternoon, the mountain bike world was rocked by the news that the male slopestyle athletes would be sitting out from finals at Crankworx Rotorua, citing the demand for an appearance fee, accommodation, and input on course safety.
See their position on a joint instagram from the athletes below.
After seeing the athletes' point of view, BIKE reached out to Crankworx for more information about the dispute. Read their response below.
Did Crankworx have a response to the riders' requests? Is the series open to appearance fees?
"After receiving the athletes’ letter, Crankworx and the local organizing committee (LOC) assessed and addressed all three demands. While two of the demands have been answered with immediate action as well as written commitment, the third demand requested a EUR 2,000 appearance fee per athlete per Crankworx World Tour festival (a total of EUR 184,000 for the 2024 Crankworx World Tour). As Crankworx is the organizer of professional sports events within the Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship (SWC), no attendance fee can be offered to athletes. To support the athletes in attending Slopestyle events throughout the Crankworx World Tour, Crankworx has offered to raise the prize money by 37% as opposed to the initially planned 10%, compared to 2023.
The two demands that have been actioned immediately revolved around accommodation for alternates and more involvement in event scheduling and weather decisions prior to the event.
All changes and adjustments Crankworx committed to, will also automatically apply to all female Slopestyle athletes."
Is it feasible to provide housing and transportation? Is there a way to provide more for the riders? Is Crankworx open to a redistribution of the allotted prize budget to be more equitable?
"Housing, transportation, and snacks on site for competing athletes have been taken care of by Crankworx in the past. After the early conversations between Crankworx and the male athletes this week, Crankworx has agreed to offer upgraded accommodation and transportation for all athletes, including alternates.
After conversations with the (male) Slopestyle athletes over the past years, they made it clear that lower-ranked athletes need more support which led to the redistribution of the increased prize money from 2023 to 2024.
In addition to the prize money, Crankworx is committed to establishing a collaborative climate and making introductions between the athletes and the mountain bike industry to foster athlete support and sponsorship.
All changes and adjustments Crankworx committed to, will also automatically apply to all female Slopestyle athletes."
Have brands sponsoring the slopestyle event reached out to comment on the news?
"Crankworx has no information on whether sponsors have reached out to the male Slopestyle athletes."
