Despite the withdrawal of three countries in the eleventh hour, Indian cyclists will be encouraged to give their best in front of home supporters as they compete in the Track Asia Cup cycling event starting at the velodrome inside the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex here on Friday.
Following the change in rules by the International Cycling Union (UCI), countries aspiring to field their cyclists in elite competitions, such as World Championship and Olympics, have to host at least one UCI-approved event every year. The conduct of the Track Asia Cup here is part of the Cycling Federation of India's (CFI's) effort to facilitate participation of Indian cyclists in top events.
However, even before its start, the UCI-certified Class I event lost some gloss due to the pull-out of three countries. Pakistan withdrew citing some internal problems and Malaysia and Uzbekistan followed suit on different grounds. According to CFI secretary-general Onkar Singh, Malaysia was forced to pull out its team after some of its bikers met with an accident during a training session.
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“Uzbekistan said their sponsors backed out in the last moment,” said Onkar on Thursday.
That leaves teams from Hong Kong, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh and India in the fray. The host is fielding three teams, including those from Services and Railways“We strongly believe that our cyclists will do well and get some medals. Thailand and Hong Kong are strong teams. Still, we have the best chance in men and women sprint events. Alan Baby and Amarjeet Singh hold promise in the men's competition, while Deborah and Kezia Vergheese can do well among the women,” said National chief coach R.K. Sharma.