British Cycling has welcomed the addition of the Madison and BMX Freestyle Park events to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games schedule following the announcement made by the UCI last Friday.

Performance director Stephen Park said: “We’re delighted by the prospect of four additional medals available to the Great Britain Cycling Team at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.

“The Madison has proven to be one of the most popular events on the UCI event schedule at world cup and world championship level. Our endurance squads are familiar with the event and are already planning around what it will take to win in that event.

“BMX Freestyle Park is less familiar to British Cycling, however having had time to reflect on the news of its inclusion in the Olympic schedule we will soon be reaching out to relevant stakeholders within the sport including the talented riders we know Great Britain has with a view to including it in our Tokyo 2020 strategy. The whole team is looking forward to welcoming this discipline onto our programme and its inclusion can only help us grow our sport even further.”

Three-time Madison world champion Mark Cavendish said: “I was thrilled to hear the news about the Madison being re-introduced in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The introduction of the Madison for women for the first time is brilliant news; showcasing cycling's drive for parity across the sport.

“It goes without saying, as three times world champion, the Madison is my favourite track event and I’d love to represent Team GB in Tokyo 2020. It’s still a long way off though, but just the news of its inclusion is great for our sport.”

Alex Coleborn, who finished sixth in the 2016 UCI BMX Freestyle Park rankings, said: “I’m really excited about BMX Freestyle Park featuring in the Olympic Games. The Olympics is a massive deal and I’d love to represent GB at that level. It’s also a great thing for the sport; it’ll raise its profile and hopefully get more people involved.”