BMX (Bicycle Motocross), the Olympic newcomer's semifinals and finals, scheduled for Thursday, have been postponed to Friday due to rain, announced a Games official on Thursday.

"I have been informed by UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) and the Games organizers that the (BMX) course is not fit for the race because of the rain, so it had been postponed to Friday, " said Hu Yuke, media manager of Laoshan stadium.

Due to the poor weather conditions, the semifinals and finals of BMX scheduled from 09:00 to 11:00 on August 21 will be cancelled, said a statement issued by Laoshan bicycle cluster competition management.

"In consideration of the fairness of the competition, and after negotiation with the UCI technical delegate, the competition will run from 09:00 until 11:00 on August 22." added Hu.

Spectator tickets for Thursday's competition will be valid for the rescheduled competition on Friday.

BMX made its Olympic debut on Wednesday in Beijing as 16 women and men cruised into semifinals respectively.

(Xinhua News Agency August 21, 2008)