ISKANDAR PUTERI: Malaysia has marked a major milestone in the cycling arena with the launch of the World Cycling Centre (WCC) Regional Development Satellite (RDS), the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the International Cycling Union (UCI) satellite centre here is also the fourth in Asia after South Korea, China and Japan.
"There are only 11 such satellite centres in the world, and Malaysia now joins that list.
"This is a very good achievement and a proud moment for Johor to have this centre here for the region," she said at a press conference after the launching ceremony of UCI's WCC-RDS at the Johor Velodrome here.
She said the establishment of the satellite centre at the velodrome here would increase Malaysia’s presence in the regional cycling scene.
"With this centre now being recognised, I hope it opens more room for grant support, not just from UCI, but also from the Malaysian government and Johor," she said.
Meanwhile, UCI president David Lappartient said the union hopes to continue expanding the reach of cycling worldwide.
"We have 206 national federations affiliated with the UCI, which shows that cycling is truly a global sport.
"We must maintain universality within our sport and across our disciplines, and this is why we wanted to build a large network of satellite centres," he said.
Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill said the satellite centre would not only benefit Malaysian cyclists but also those in the region.
"The whole idea is to have a regional satellite centre so that we can also support neighbouring countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei.
"It's not focused on Malaysia alone, but also Southeast Asia and the entire Asian continent.
"We want to train together and share knowledge," said Amarjit, who is also with the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC).
