PETALING JAYA, July 14 — National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail raised eyebrows yesterday by saying the national track cycling team may have to train in Ipoh, Perak soon.

 

Shapawi said this was because the new indoor velodrome in Nilai is scheduled to be completed before the 2017 SEA Games while a low cost housing project is planned on the site of the Kuala Lumpur Velodrome in Cheras, where the cyclists train now.

“The Rakyat Velodrome in Ipoh is our only local option. Otherwise we will have to send them to Melbourne,” said Shapawi.

The Velodrome in Ipoh, however, is in a state of disrepair and it is puzzling Shapawi would propose the team relocate there.

Former Asian keirin champion Rizal Tisin said the Ipoh venue should not even be considered as an option.

“The velodrome is in a terrible condition. There is absolutely no way the cyclists can train there,” said Rizal, who is also the national women’s track team coach.

“Training in Melbourne is costly as we must think about the accommodation budget as well.

“It is better for us to train in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We had a one-month training stint there before last year’s Incheon Asian Games. The velodrome is good and will not cost us much.”

Shapawi said the problem can be solved if the Kuala Lumpur City Hall agree to hold their plans to demolish the Cheras Velodrome.

“We have not got the exact date from them (City Hall) on when the demolishing work starts,” said Shapawi.

“But we hope they will at least wait until the Nilai velodrome is ready.

“We intend to discuss this matter with them but in the meantime our riders will continue training in Cheras,” he said.

Surprisingly, despite producing world class cyclists like Azizulhasni Awang and Josiah Ng, there are no other velodromes in the country.

It was in Cheras where Azizulhasni launched his professional career when he participated and won many local championships before being identified for the national team.

However City Hall have already sold the land to a private developer for a low cost housing project.

The velodrome in Nilai, meanwhile, is touted to “take Malaysian cycling to the next level”.

Located near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, the velodrome is scheduled to host the World Cup and World Track Championship once completed.