Ireland’s indoor velodrome finally gets green light to proceed to key stage

The long-awaited new international-standard velodrome in Dublin has finally been given the green light by the Government via the Department of Sport. That means it can now proceed to a key juncture point, from which construction will proceed.

And the shared cycling and badminton facility will also be completed before the next Olympic Games according to the latest timetable of events now put forward. The track at Abbottstown, west Dublin, is now moving forward towards construction and completion with today’s announcement.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD has today said the facility will move towards the tender process after approval from Government for that key step.

She added the 250-metre velodrome, which will be located in the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown, is scheduled to be completed in 2027. It will mean that Irish track cyclists, in particular, will no longer need to travel abroad to train, she added.

“As we proudly support Team Ireland at the Olympic and Paralympic games in Paris, the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will support the next generation of athletes,” Ms Martin said.

“The National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will provide state-of-the-art track cycling facilities for our cycling athletes who currently have to travel abroad for both training and competition, as well as providing the sport of badminton with a permanent home featuring integrated training, gym and medical facilities.

“The funding provided to build these training facilities will allow athletes in both sports to reach optimal performance levels on the international stage. Our National Sports Campus is already a world leading athlete focused facility and this next phase of its development will further enhance Ireland’s sporting infrastructure.”

Úna May, the head of Sport Ireland, said she was delighted with the announcement, describing it was “an exhilarating next step in advancing what is already a world-leading location for sport”.

“The National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will provide our athletes with top-class training facilities and will allow us to host competitions right here in Ireland, significantly enhancing the high-performance environment on the Sport Ireland Campus,” Ms May added.

“It’s exactly the sort of continued investment that is absolutely crucial for boosting participation from grassroots levels to elite athletes. We’re all enjoying the Olympics, and this will only enhance high-performing Irish cyclers’ chances of international, Olympic and Paralympic medals in the future.

“This announcement really reaffirms the Government’s commitment to bringing the ambitious Sport Ireland Campus Masterplan to life. We are grateful to the Government for their ongoing investment in sport and can’t wait to see the positive impact this will have across both cycling and badminton.”