KUALA LUMPUR: The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has approved the setting up of a World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Malaysia, to be located in Johor Bahru, Johor.
Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill said in a statement that the UCI Management Committee (UCI MC), chaired by its president David Lappartient, had recently approved the setting up of both a UCI WCC Continental Development Satellite and a UCI WCC Regional Development Satellite in Johor Bahru.
“The WCC BMX Centre Johor Bahru will work closely with the UCI WCC in Aigle, Switzerland. The WCC BMX Centre Johor Bahru will play an important role in the global development of cycling and serve as a centre of sporting excellence for National Federations (NFs).
“I have given assurances that the WCC BMX Centre Johor Bahru will operate more autonomously in implementing its projects and mission,“ he said in a statement issued by the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) today.
Elaborating further, Amarjit expressed hope that the WCC BMX Centre Johor Bahru would promote the advancement of cyclists to the highest level.
He said the establishment of the WCC BMX Centre Johor Bahru, known as WCC Malaysia, would make it the fourth WCC in Asia after South Korea (Seoul), China (Shanghai), and Japan (Shizuoka).
Amarjit, who is also a UCI Executive Board member, said the WCC in Johor Bahru would be managed in collaboration with the Johor Government, Johor Sports Council (MSN Johor), and the Johor Cycling Association (PBNJ).
He added that the success in convincing the UCI marked a very strong starting point for the development of the BMX discipline in Southeast Asia.
“As we know, Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines have many talented BMX riders. Therefore, with the establishment of the WCC BMX Centre Johor Bahru, I believe Malaysia will also benefit directly from UCI’s decision.
“I am very pleased with this UCI MC approval, as it has been a long-standing struggle by MNCF since 2014. Finally, Malaysia has received the highest recognition from UCI after I held several meetings with the WCC director and the UCI President.
The idea to establish the WCC BMX Centre in Malaysia was previously mooted by MNCF as an initiative to improve the riding quality of national BMX cyclists.
