Chennai to host track Asia Cup; Top cyclists to draw eyeballs

CHENNAI: The Government of Tamil Nadu has issued a ‘No Objection’ certificate to the Tamil Nadu Cycling Association’s (TNCA) request to host the Track Asia Cup at the TNPESU Velodrome in January 2026.

The event is scheduled to be held from January 29 to 31 and follows the state’s successful hosting of the National Track Cycling Championships in November 2024.

It will also be the first international competition at the velodrome, which was renovated for the Khelo India Youth Games last year.

“When the association proposed the idea and reached out to us, we were happy to bring the event to our state,” said J Meghanatha Reddy, Member Secretary of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), to DT Next.

This will also mark the first time a UCI Class 1 event, which doubles as a qualification meet for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, is being staged outside Delhi.

Between 16 and 18 Asian countries, including Iran, China, the UAE and Singapore, are expected to take part, with cyclists competing for crucial points towards their Olympic campaigns.

“I am thankful to SDAT and the state government for their continued support of cycling. We won six gold medals at the Khelo India Games, we now have a new centre of excellence for cycling at TNPESU, and the growth the sport has seen over the past three years has been remarkable,” said M Sudhakar, President of the Tamil Nadu Cycling Association. He added that discussions to bring the event to Chennai had been ongoing since last year.

The competition is expected to feature a maximum of 70 male cyclists and 30 female cyclists.

The velodrome will undergo minor alterations and upgrades in the coming months in preparation for hosting the international meet.