Olympic Gold medallists Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton will head up a world class field for the UCI Track Cycling World Cup presented by Samsung, taking place from 16-19 February 2012 at the Velodrome in the Olympic Park which doubles up as a London 2012 test event.
Today the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) revealed the full line up which will include five Olympic Champions and 16 World Champions including current Sprint World Champions Jason Kenny (Great Britain) and Anna Meares (Australia) and Robert Forstemann (Germany) who is currently ranked World Cup number one in Sprint and Team Sprint.
With riders eager to compete in the London 2012 venue, the event has attracted the world’s best track cyclists, as many nations compete for Olympic qualification. Over 23,000 spectators will enjoy the elite action as athletes ride competitively for the first time in the Velodrome.
340 riders from 48 nations and 18 trade teams will compete in the four day competition. Highlights include finals of the Men’s and Women’s Team Sprint on Friday, the ever exciting Team Pursuit and the tactical Keirin races.
LOCOG Director of Sport Debbie Jevans said of the event: "The standard of riders we have attracted is phenomenal with most of the world’s best riders participating. The athletes will be competing for the first time in the Olympic venue in front of thousands of fans so we are looking forward to an exceptional event. As well as it being a vital competition for the athletes, it is key for LOCOG in terms of our testing to ensure that we are ready at Games time. We will be testing the overall venue operations, the track, the timing and results and our workforce."
Tickets for the event sold out within minutes when they went on sale last November. LOCOG is making every effort to offer additional tickets to the event, and, if extra tickets can be made available, more information on this will be issued in the next few days on the UCI Track Cycling World Cup presented by Samsung website
The iconic 6,000 seat Velodrome will host Olympic and Paralympic indoor track cycling events on the 250 metre track during the Games. After the Games the Velodrome will form part of a facility which will include a BMX Track, one-mile long road cycle circuit, 6km of off-road mountain bike tracks and storage for over 300 bikes.
The UCI Track Cycling World Cup presented by Samsung is supported by UK Sport’s World Class Events Programme. The schedule and full lists of teams and riders can be viewed on the UCI Track Cycling World Cup presented by Samsung rider list.
For more information, contact: London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100.
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