Sport Ireland has said the new Dublin velodrome is expected to open in mid 2028, which would rule out its use by Irish riders before the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The timetable for its opening has emerged after the sod was turned on the exciting project at the National Sports Campus in Dublin on Wednesday.
That latest published schedule is almost a year later than the Government indicated, just days ago, for the project to be completed.
In the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport’s sectoral investment plan, published last week, it was stated construction on the shared cycling and badminton facility would commence in the first quarter of next year.
The "indicative construction timeline" set out in the same document was put at the third quarter of 2027, with the indicative project cost set at €50-€100 million.
However, Sport Ireland has now published information stating the facility would not open for up to a year after the Government’s recently published timeline.
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"Construction is scheduled to take around two years, with the facility expected to open by mid-2028," Sport Ireland said in a statement on its website, published to coincide with the turning of the sod ceremony.
Úna May, chief executive of Sport Ireland, described the construction of the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre (NVBC) as a "really significant milestone for Irish sport", a statement that is hard to disagree with.
"The development of the NVBC is a major investment in the future of high-performance and participation sport in Ireland," she said. “This world-class facility is going to provide athletes with Cycling Ireland and Badminton Ireland the environment they need to train, compete, and excel on the international stage.
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"It will also open new pathways for people of all ages and abilities to get involved. We’re absolutely delighted to see the project move forward. All of us at Sport Ireland look forward to seeing its impact across both cycling and badminton in the years ahead.”
The fact the centre will not open until up to a year later than the Government claimed just last week is disappointing. However, the long-term contribution the velodrome will make to Irish cycling obviously far outweighs any slippage in opening dates.
Not only will the 250 metre track prove an invaluable resource for training and racing - and in introducing newcomers to the sport - it will also be the new home of Cycling Ireland and the sport of cycling generally in Ireland.
Furthermore, the fact the project is now finally getting off the ground comes at a time when the pool of talent within Irish cycling is stronger than ever across the categories.
Ireland won medals at the Worlds and Europeans, track and road, this year with male and female riders and across the elite, U23 and junior categories, which is unprecedented.
Lara Gillespie bookended at phenomenal road season with European and world titles on the track. An Irish rider, Ben Healy, also won a stage at the Tour de France and held the yellow jersey.
Three Irish women rode the women’s Tour de France; Fiona Mangan, Lara Gillespie and Mia Griffin the first Irish cyclists ever to start that event. All three also won UCI-ranked races this season on the road.
Two Irish riders – Adam Rafferty and Seth Dunwoody – both won stages at Giro Next Gen this year while junior rider Conor Murphy won a stage of a UCI Nations Cup race in Czech Republic.
