Hong Kong to host first track cycling event for 2 years to avoid World Championships axe
- UCI ranking points up for grabs as Cycling Association acts to ensure its athletes will not be ruled out of inaugural showpiece in August
- ‘It’s good to have that competition intensity that is lacking in our normal training,’ rising star Lee Sze-wing says ahead of May’s Hong Kong Cup
Hong Kong will host its first international track cycling event after two years in May to ensure its athletes are not ruled out of August’s inaugural UCI World Championships.
The Hong Kong International Track Cup, a UCI Class 1 event, will be held over May 25-28 at the Hong Kong Velodrome, in order for the city to meet criteria set by cycling’s governing body.
The World Championships – touted as the biggest ever cycling event – will host 13 individual UCI World Championships, bringing together various disciplines including road racing, mountain biking and track cycling. It will be held every four years in the year preceding the Olympics.
Teams looking to compete at the 2023 showpiece in Scotland must host a UCI event – no matter what level – in the 12 months leading up to it, otherwise their cyclists will not be permitted.
Hong Kong’s return to hosting has been welcomed by rising local star Lee Sze-wing, with the city starved of international track cycling events since a Nations Cup in May 2021, because of pandemic restrictions.
“I hope that more Asian cyclists will come to compete. It’s a good opportunity for us to know more about our opponents before the Asian Championships [in June] and the Asian Games [in September],” Lee said.
