Fate of KL Velodrome hangs in the balance

PETALING JAYA: What lies in store for the Kuala Lumpur Velodrome in Cheras?

The 37-year-old venue’s fate seems to be hanging in the balance, with its current owner and the Kuala Lumpur Cycling Association (KLCA) yet to discuss its imminent future.

New KLCA president Datuk Razlan Razali said he will soon engage in talks with the venue’s owner and developer Dupion Development Sdn Bhd on what can be done for the velodrome.

“In terms of the direction of where it’s going, I’m not sure just yet, but we know who holds the rights to the venue.

“So we will have a meeting with that party soon and see how we can improve the velodrome in terms of its maintenance,” said Razlan after winning the KLCA presidency on Sunday (Feb 25).

However, Razlan said there are talks of a new velodrome bound to be built in Kuala Lumpur.

“I also heard that they are building a new one (velodrome) so we will see.

“If it’s just a change of location, it’s fine because it is just for training.

“It doesn’t matter where the location is, as long as at the end of the day we have a place to practise with the proper level of infrastructure and accessibility,” he said.

The velodrome hosted its last competition in March 2017 before it was closed for demolition to make way for commercial developments.

But in 2021, the owners allowed the venue to be reopened to allow the Kuala Lumpur cycling team to train for the 2022 Malaysia Games (Sukma).

Until now, Kuala Lumpur coach Datuk Ng Joo Ngan still uses the velodrome as a training base but noted that having to move training sessions to the National Velodrome in Nilai would be costly.

“It costs about RM250 to use the Nilai Velodrome for an hour, even more if we have to change gears because that takes time.

“We can’t blame the management because they have to turn on all the equipment, air conditioning, and lighting in the venue.

“In Cheras, it is outdoors and on cement, sure it may not have the comforts of Nilai but it is sufficient,” said Joo Ngan.