Cycling: International bodies asked to stump up for 2022 Games velodrome

New Zealand's Sam Webster attacks in the men's keirin at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Photo / Greg Bowker

International federations will be asked to open their chequebooks if they want track cycling on the Durban Commonwealth Games programme in 2022.

And with Games heavyweights such as England and Australia, plus New Zealand with its current prowess on the velodrome, keen to get the sport on board, the Durban authorities in turn should be ready for a push to make it happen.

When the Commonwealth Games Federation finished in Auckland yesterday - and Durban, the only candidate, duly confirmed as 2022 hosts - South Africa's Olympic committee president Gideon Sam made clear the situation about one of New Zealand's most successful Games sports.

"If international federation[s] don't come to the party and help in the developing and contributing towards building a velodrome it's not going to happen," Sam said. "We can't afford to build a facility that is going to cost us millions and not be used."

Track cycling's dilemma is that the sport has never figured highly in South Africa's sporting psyche. The argument might therefore go why build a facility which has white elephant writ large across it once the Games are over.

Newly elected CGF vice-president Kereyn Smith admitted she didn't detect a "groundswell" of support for track cycling - road cycling is on the programme - within South Africa. She noted track cycling, on the programme since 1934, had regularly been an optional sport; it's just that it had always been picked up by host cities.

The assembly raised the number of compulsory sports from 10 to 16, with 10 optional sports listed.

Other notables to miss out on a compulsory place are shooting and gymnastics.

The optional list includes 3 x 3 basketball, T20 men's cricket; beach volleyball and para table tennis and triathlon.

CGF president Tunku Imran of Malaysia, who lost out to Britain's Louise Martin in the election, raised a chuckle when he said "we now come to this very difficult vote". Once Edmonton, Canada pulled out earlier this year, it left Durban a free run.

Its final presentation yesterday included using international sports stars, cricketers Shaun Pollock and Hashim Amla, and former Springbok rugby captain John Smit, all Durban men, in a promotional video.

It also included a clip from former president Nelson Mandela, in which he spoke of sport "having the power to change the world ... to unite people in a way little else does".

Durban bid chairman Mark Alexander described Durban as "one of the easiest cities in the world to fall in love with".

"Our country prides itself on hosting mega events. We see them as a major part of our economy," he added, pointing out tourism accounts for 9 per cent of South Africa's gross domestic product, a large chunk of which is down to sports tourism.