PLANS to put up a new velodrome for cycling at the Tagaytay BMX Track and Skate Park in Tagaytay City have gained traction.
Sports officials from the Philippine Sports Commission met with the Quezon City government, which plans to convert its ageing Amoranto velodrome along Roces Ave. into a football and track stadium and help out with the construction of a new cycling facility in the popular town south of Manila.
Officials from Quezon City, who are in talks with Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann, hinted at contributing P40 million to P50 million in the construction of a new cycling facility elsewhere.
“We are meeting with them on this. We’ll discuss on how we can do and check out the legislations that have been passed in the Senate and Congress on facilities that, by law, are under the care of the PSC,” said Bachmann.
“They (Quezon City government) are asking if they can convert it into a football and oval. And they plan to help out and fund around P40 to P50 million for another place. We’re looking at Tagaytay,” said Bachmann.
Tagaytay City mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who is also the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee and is deeply involved in the sport as head of its national association (PhilCycling) welcomed the move.
Tolentino said during the recent Asian Cycling Confederation BMX Championships that the Tagaytay LGU has an available land for this undertaking, located inside the sprawling BMX and skate park in the Kaybagal South area.
“Wala na ang (Amoranto Stadium). We have an agreement with the Quezon City government. They will donate for the construction of a new velodrome. Give me two years and we will have facilities for road bike, MTB, and BMX and for track,” said Tolentino, who showed Bachmann around the Kaybagal South venue during the Asian competitions.
Tolentino said they have already given up on plans to renovate the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City as the local government has other plans for the venue.
Funding for plans to build a new velodrome in Tagaytay City has been secured early this year by the PhilCycling from the International Cycling Union.
Tolentino got funding support after returning recently from a meeting of the Asian Cycling Confederation Congress in Bali, Indonesia.
The UCI will provide the design of the velodrome so that it will surely be up to world-class standards.
Conditions of the 5.8-hectare facility in QC have deteriorated and are no longer up to international standard.
Tolentino explained that the standard length of a velodrome now stands at 250 meters and no longer 350 meters, the size of the Amoranto facility.
The POC chief earlier said the budget of building a new one could reach a staggering P1.5 billion.
The last time that the velodrome was seriously used for competition was back in the 2013, when the POC-PSC Philippine National Games were held.
It was last used seven years ago by national cyclists, who were still quartered inside the sports complex, but rarely got a chance to practice in the steeply banked oval tracks.
The complex was inaugurated in 1966 by then President Ferdinand Marcos.
