IPOH, June 18 — The Youth and Sports Ministry is confident of getting the International Cycling Union (UCI)'s green light for Ipoh's Velodrome Rakyat ahead of the Sukma Games in September.
The ministry's secretary-general Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali said work on the track is expected to be finished by the end of July, before the scheduled UCI inspection in the first week of August.
He said a UCI inspector had already visited the facility and suggested some changes that needed to be made.
“The contractor is currently carrying out these changes and the UCI will return in August to check again,” Lokman told Malay Mail.
“We have asked the contractor to abide by the milestone plan. We are monitoring the work to ensure that all the changes requested by the UCI will be completed, at the latest by the end of July.”
Lokman said the contractor had also engaged with a specialist who deals directly with the UCI.
“The contractor has given us assurances, and I am quite confident with what the contractor has laid out,” he added.
The repair of Velodrome Rakyat was plunged into controversy earlier this month when State Youth, Sports and Human Capital Development committee chairman Howard Lee Chuan How cancelled six Sukma Games track cycling events due to the deplorable state of the facility.
Lee had highlighted brittle wood strips jutting out of the track and black patches on its surface.
When asked about the track's condition, Lokman said this was a characteristic of outdoor wood. “When it(the track) is not being used and exposed, there can be dirt trapped on the wood. But this can be cleaned with a pail of water and a cloth,” he said.
On a related matter, Lokman said that there were never any plans to construct a permanent cover over the track to protect it from the elements.
The issue of the cover had been raised by several quarters, including state exco Lee and Malaysian National Cycling Federation vice-president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill.
“A cover would provide some extra protection for the track. In fact, I have written to the state and federal agencies, stressing the need for a cover,” Amarjit said.
To this, Lokman said the ministry was currently searching for funds to install a suitable plastic cover as a temporary measure.
“There was never any plan for a cover in the contract. But we are trying to find a proper plastic cover for the track — not a cheap plastic one but a proper one.
“This will prevent dust from being trapped on the track.”
The velodrome was built in 1986 with donations from the public. It has hosted numerous national, regional and international competitions such as the SEA Games as well as the Asian and World Cycling Championships
However, it fell into disrepair over the years and was closed because of safety concerns in 2013.
