Abuja Velodrome

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The Abuja Velodrome (2019)

The Abuja Velodrome is a cycling track in the Nigerian capital, Abuja . It opened in 2002 after a six-month construction period.

The cycling track is 250 meters long, made of concrete and has a curve superelevation of 42 degrees. The tent canopy has a surface area of ​​16,500 square meters and covers an area of ​​12,300 square meters. There is space for around 60,000 spectators, it has a presidential logo as well as 56 VIP boxes and other facilities. The cycling track was planned by the Münster architect Ralph Schürmann . It was originally intended for the track cycling competitions at the Africa Games in 2003 , but then (for unknown reasons) they were not held. One day before the end of the games, the tent roof was badly damaged by a storm.

The cycling track was then not used for cycling races, but mainly for concerts, meetings and other celebrations. In autumn 2008 the first MTV Africa Music Awards were presented here. The Velodrome was not used for cycling for 15 years and was most recently used as a depot for gas bottles and stoves, which President Goodluck Jonathan intended as election gifts; apparently after he was not re-elected in 2015 these were not distributed.

From the mid-2010s, the Italian-born President of the Nigerian Cycling Federation, Giandomenico Massari, took the initiative to revive the sports facility. At his instigation, a national team has now been formed that trains regularly on the track. In July 2019 16 years under the aegis of the International Cycling Union took place at the Velodrome after their construction, the first international track cycling competition held UCI turn inaugural Africa Cup . On this occasion the damaged tent roof was renewed.

Web links

Commons : Velodrome Abuja  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Olusola 'Jide: How the Abuja velodrome is being used. In: dailytrust.com.ng. April 13, 2019, accessed November 16, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b Reconstruction of the Velodrome stadium roof in Abuja / Nigeria. Prof. Schmidt & Partner, accessed on November 16, 2019 .
  3. ^ Winners of MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain. In: ScreenAfrica. November 28, 2008, accessed November 16, 2019 .
  4. ^ Vanguard: Cycling: Massari, living Iloh's dream - Vanguard News. In: vanguardngr.com. Retrieved November 16, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Patrick Omorodion: Massari: Nigeria Will Excel in Africa Track championship. In: thisdaylive.com. May 18, 2019, accessed November 16, 2019 .

Coordinates: 9 ° 2 ′ 20.5 ″  N , 7 ° 27 ′ 26.5 ″  E