Uci And Eurosport Unveil New Track Champions League

The UCI and Eurosport Events have officially unveiled the new Track Champions League in a bid to ‘reinvent track cycling’.

The pair first announced they would work together on a new competition in March, when they first proposed the event. They have now announced the official name, logo and schedule for the competition as well as announcing Sir Chris Hoy and Kristina Vogel as its first brand ambassadors.

The UCI Track Champions League will include shorter-format racing and will see only medallists and top ranked athletes qualify.

The inaugural season – which was originally set to start in November 2021 and end in February 2022 – will now be held across six consecutive weekends in November and December 2021. Each meet will see male and female athletes compete in a two-hour made-for-broadcast programme which will include Individual Sprint, Keirin, Elimination and Scratch races.

“Today, together with our partner Eurosport Events, we are pleased to present the name, logo and ambassadors of the future track cycling circuit, specially designed for television fans,” said David Lappartient, President, UCI.

“From November to December 2021, the UCI Track Champions League will bring together the world’s best sprinters and endurance specialists over six closely spaced weekends in short formats, with the aim of broadening the discipline’s audience to a new, thrill-seeking public. With its strong visual identity, its legendary ambassadors, and its compact calendar, the new track competition promises to bring a breath of fresh air to a historic discipline of our sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events said: “Last March 1st, at Berlin UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Discovery and UCI took a long-term joint commitment to bring track cycling into a new dynamic under a revamped sporting format. The Covid-19 pandemic did not affect that ambition: 12 months ahead of kick-off by November 2021, we are super excited to reveal UCI Track Champions League identity.

“That brand says it all: highest sporting standards, designed for champions only, spectacular venues, unique on-event experience, global coverage. 

“2021 will be a big year for international track cycling: Olympic Games in August, World Championships in October, and UCI Track Champions League with 6 events over November and December, possibly in Europe only for the first season. As a promoter, Eurosport Events and GCN are aiming to create each year a strong climax for track cycling, away for road season, with an intense narrative for fans.”