LOCOG Hails Track Cycling World Cup a Roaring Success; All Eyes on Chinese Divers

(ATR) LOCOG hails the booming atmosphere inside the 2012 velodrome for the UCI Track Cycling World Cup as something they "underestimated".

David Luckes, head of sport and competition for London 2012, was speaking to Around the Rings inside the showpiece venue on the Olympic Park on Sunday. The UCI's four-day event was the first competitive event since the venue's completion last year.

"We’ve had packed stands, world records, British gold medals and a fantastic atmosphere," he told ATR.

"It’s a stunning venue and certainly the atmosphere has brought the venue to life in a way that some of us underestimated."

Luckes added: "The athlete and coach feedback has been exceptional. The fact that world records are being broken shows that the track is a quick track - so it means it's doing what it was designed to do which was to provide the athletes with the optimum environment to achieve their personal best."

Chris Hoy, the four-time Beijing Olympic champion, won the individual sprint Sunday. His second gold medal of the Track World Cup rounded off a successful competition for the British team ahead of the Melbourne World Championships in April and the Olympics. Team GB topped the medals table with four golds, one silver and two bronzes.

Designed for Records

The velodrome was the first sports venue on the Olympic Park to be completed. A key design feature is the spectacular double-curved roof, which sits above a glass wall extending around the full perimeter of the building to create a naturally lit environment.

Other eco-friendly factors include air-lock doors to keep the heat inside, and even an innovative gutter system that utilizes rainwater to help with the plumbing. Sustainability issues were a key part of LOCOG’s mission when building the venue, according to Luckes.

"Its massively sustainable – an embodiment of the sustainable principles we try and live through in LOCOG. We’ve done all that without compromising on the functional part of the venue," he told ATR.

Butr he maintained that the priority was to get the "field of play fit for purpose" and Olympic champion Hoy was included in the design process to make sure the velodrome provided the best conditions for athletes - and a track capable of record-breaking times.

Luckesadded: "Then you figure out what you have to do around that but in the most eco-friendly, responsible and savvy way but not degrade from the athletes experience."

"It looks fantastic and it works as-well, and those two don’t always go together."

In the opinion of many riders competing at the Track Cycling World Cup, it was not the track that provided the faster times but the crowd and acoustics inside the venue.

Geraint Thomas of Team GB’s pursuit team said: "At the end of the day, the track is just a track. It’s the atmosphere that made us faster and will do come the summer. The noise is truly amazing."

The roar of the British crowd was deafening when Hoy raced on the track. The Scotsman, who took keirin gold on Saturday, described the atmosphere as "absolutely incredible" moments after claimingthe gold medal in the men’s sprint final.

UCI president Pat McQuaid described his federation's final assessment of the competition held in the British capital as "very positive".

"The quality of the facilities that will host the Olympic events, the excellent arrangements made by LOCOG and the unique atmosphere of this weekend’s competitions in the velodrome give the best possible guarantee of success for the six days that will be devoted to the Olympic track program," he said in a statement.

After the Games, the velodrome will become the hub of the velopark – part of the Olympic Park’s legacy. A new mountain bike course and road-cycle circuit will be added to the BMX track and velodrome to create an area for the local community, sports clubs and elite athletes.

Diving Test Event

Chinese Olympic champions He Chong and Chen Ruolin are among the 250-plus divers taking part in the 18th FINA Visa Diving World Cup, which kicks off at the aquatics centre today.

Chong is the 2008 Olympic individual 3m springboard gold medalist andthree-time world champion. Ruolin is double Olympic champion, winningboth the 10m platform and synchronised 10m platform.

The Feb. 20 to 26 event featuring divers from 44 nations is the last qualification opportunity for the London Olympics. Britain is looking to book places in four disciplines - women's 10m platform, men's 3m springboard and the women's 3m springboard (two places).

Britain has high hopes of its synchronised 10m pair - Tom Daley, a former world champion, and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Pete Waterfield.

The competition is the first sporting event to be held at the spectacular aquatics venue designed by Zaha Hadid and the 31st test event to be staged by the LOCOG.

FINA president Julio C. Maglione said: "FINA and LOCOG have worked very closely during the past years and months and it is now time to see if this hard work is fruitful.

"From everyone’s feedback on the aquatic centre, this facility is amazing and will certainly constitute an asset for the success of FINA’s disciplines at the Games’ time. I am sure that this World Cup will also be a milestone and I look forward to witnessing the performances of our best athletes next summer during the Olympic celebration."

Reported by Christian Radnedge and Mark Bisson

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