AusCycling statement: Support for New South Wales track cyclists

The failure of the New South Wales Government to secure the future of the state’s only indoor velodrome has left elite and emerging athletes in limbo.

Earlier this week, the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) announced that it would end its track cycling program due to continued uncertainty over the future of Dunc Gray Velodrome.

The NSWIS decision follows more than a year of attempts by AusCycling to work with the NSW Office of Sport and others on options to revitalise the former Olympic venue.

It now appears the NSW Government has decided to abandon responsibility for the velodrome and hand management of the facility to the Canterbury Bankstown Council from March 31, 2025.

AusCycling has been in regular discussion with the council which will face major financial and management decisions in determining the velodrome’s future.

Unfortunately, this uncertainty means the NSWIS track program will be wound up and the state’s best able and para track athletes may be left without a training venue or an elite program less than four years out from the Los Angeles Games and eight years from a home Olympics.

"We have been working productively with NSWIS to revitalise the program and enhance outcomes in the next cycle, including an expanded focus on supporting talent in regional areas. This is an important partnership for AusCycling and the proposed evolution to the program is exciting, but to use Dunc Gray as the reason not to fund the track program is not accurate," AusCycling CEO Marne Fechner said.

"Australia has a long and proud history in track cycling including triumphs at multiple Olympic Games and World Championships.

“This includes the unforgettable Madison gold medal performance of Brett Aitken and Scott McGrory at Dunc Gray Velodrome during the Sydney 2000 Games. If this facility continues to be ignored and de-prioritised, NSW risks becoming the only state in Australia without an indoor velodrome, a terrible outcome for Australia’s most populous state.”

Fechner said AusCycling remains ready to work with the state government, Canterbury Bankstown Council and others to chart a sustainable future for the velodrome and elite training programs.

AusCycling is also committed to ensuring that impacted athletes and coaches are provided with options and support to enable them to continue their development. AusCycling will also work with NSWIS to provide program support for road and mountain bike athletes, and potential scholarship support for riders across all disciplines including BMX.

Dunc Gray Velodrome was built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, is the only indoor track in the state, and is the home of programs that have nurtured Australia’s best able and para track athletes and coaches.