Tel Aviv building 1st Olympic velodrome in the Middle East

Saturday, 5. May 2018 - 12:08

The Sylvan Adams Velodrome in Tel Aviv, touted as the most advanced indoor cycling arena in the Middle East, was unveiled a few days before the Big Start of the Giro d’Italia road-biking race in Israel, scheduled to begin in Jerusalem on May 4 and reach Tel Aviv on May 5.

The arena, still under construction, will meet the Olympic standards of 250 meters in circumference and aims to develop and promote competitive and recreational cycling in Israel. Professional cyclists from the Israel Cycling Academy did the first test run of the tracks as Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai watched along with Yoni Yarom, chairman of the Israel Cycling Federation, and Sylvan Adams, co-owner of the Israel Cycling Academy and honorary president of Giro’s Big Start in Israel.

The Velodrome, named in tribute to Adams’ efforts to advance cycling in Israel, is located near the National Sport Center, a compound of stadiums, sports facilities and the Olympic Committee of Israel headquarters. The arena cost about $19 million to build and was designed by Mazor-First Architects to seat 620 people.

Adams said he hopes the Velodrome will host the 2021 World Junior Championships for track cycling.

Abigail Klein Leichman