The 47th Junior Track Cycling World Championships began on Tuesday at the Sylvan Adams National Velodrome in Tel Aviv. This is the first time that the championships are being held in Israel, featuring around 300 under-18 cyclists from 40 countries and five continents.
The Israeli team at the championships is led by Uri Besh-Duvinsky from the TACC team (who won a medal last month at the European Youth Championships) and Oron Argoc, the Israel youth champion from the Masters Haifa team. Other participants include Noa Schweki, Hilli Biderman, and Uri Bahri (all from the IGP team) and Ron Ben-Efraim from the CSC team.
The opening ceremony at the Velodrome was attended by Olympic Committee Chair Yael Arad, philanthropist Sylvan Adams, the Israeli Cycling Union chair Dafna Ling, Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Ron Huldai, and MK Simon Davidson.
Olympic Committee Chair Yael Arad: “The Junior Track Cycling World Championships here at the new Sylvan Adams Velodrome in Israel is an important event in the development of track cycling in Israel. The exposure to professional levels and inspiration for our sportspeople, and the incredible professional work that is being done in track cycling, will lead to achievements in the future. Thanks to the philanthropist Sylvan Adams, the Mayor of Tel Aviv and the Cycling Federation for the vision and the investment.”
Philanthropist, Sylvan Adams concluded: “Israel has proved again that it can host big international events, including world championships. The championships beginning today are fantastic news for Israeli sport in general and track cycling in particular. The opening shot in the race for an Olympic medal begins now! Our cyclists have already won medals in the World and European championships and have achieved great things for Israeli sport. Together, we are giving an opportunity to our talented youth to realize their potential and to bring great pride to Israel.”
The championships are being held as part of the efforts by the Israeli Cycling Federation and the philanthropist Sylvan Adams to transform track cycling, in which 36 medals are awarded during the Olympics, into a leading sport in Israel.
The event is being produced by the Comtec Group, which together with Adams has been responsible for bringing leading sports and entertainment events to Israel, including: the French Super Cup, the Giro D’Italia, the EuroBasket, the European Championships, the Judo Grand Slam, the unforgettable match between Argentina and Uruguay, and the IRONMAN contest in Tiberias. The competition is also being run in partnership with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality, and the Ministry of Culture and Sport.
Follow the updated results live from the tournament: Junior Track Cycling World Championships