ESPN has decided to discontinue snowmobile and motocross trick competitions at its X Games after a snowmobiler died in January following a crash.
The event in which the fatal accident occurred wasn’t cut from the schedule while it remains under review.
Caleb Moore, a four-time X Games medalist, was critically injured Jan. 24 at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, when he was struck by his 450-pound machine while attempting a backflip in the finals of the snowmobile freestyle competition. He died seven days later.
Another rider in the Best Trick Competition in Aspen lost control of his snowmobile, which veered toward fans after its throttle stuck.
Walt Disney Co. (DIS)’s ESPN network, which owns and televises the winter and summer X Games, said in a statement yesterday that snowmobile and moto X best trick competitions would no longer be staged, while officials are still reviewing whether to discontinue the snowmobile freestyle competition.
“This change reflects our decision to focus on motor sports disciplines which feature athletes who also compete in multiple, world-class competitions reflecting the highest degree of athlete participation, competitive development and the global nature of our X Games franchise,” ESPN said.
ESPN said it has made more than 60 changes to its competition lineups over 18 years of the X Games
