体坛英语新闻：Olympic mountain bike course changed

LONDON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- London 2012 organisers have announced changes to the Olympic mountain bike course, after feedback from competitors in last year's test event, the BBC said here on Wednesday.

Parts of the course, set in the grounds of Hadleigh Castle in Essex, will be widened to allow more opportunities for athletes to pass.

New features have been added to further increase the course's difficulty.

The main climb has been extended and a new feature has been added with an extended climb to reach it.

Several parts of the course, including the switchback climbs, have been widened and a new climb has been added into the start loop which will be used on the first 4.7km lap of the races.

The changes came after feedback from the mountain bike test event last July.

London 2012 organisers, Locog, gave the riders a questionnaire to complete after the test event, and said amendments would be made after criticims that the course was too flat and narrow.

Debbie Jevans, Locog's director of sport, said she was confident the largely man-made course would be one of the most technically challenging courses at an Olympic Games, and as competitive as possible due to the increased number of places where competitors could pass each other.

"It is wider and higher than for the test event and with the stunning setting of Hadleigh Farm we are looking forward to a world-class Olympic event," she said.

Some 36 coutries and regions are expected to take part in the London 2012 mountain bike competition; the men's race on 12 August will have 50 riders, and the women's race a day earlier will have 30 competitors.