The National Velodrome in Blanchardstown has been given the green light.
The crown in the jewel of the facility will see a 250-metre cycling track installed, along with 12 badminton courts.
The centre will also have room for 1000 permanent seats as well as room for 2,500 temporary seats per the planning application that was lodged in early 2023.
Currently being put out to tender and set to be complete in 2027, the facility will now mean that Irish track cyclists will no longer need to travel abroad to train for major competitions.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin said “as we proudly support Team Ireland at the Olympic and Paralympic games in Paris, the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will support the next generation of athletes.”
“The National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will provide state-of-the-art track cycling facilities for our cycling athletes who currently have to travel abroad for both training and competition, as well as providing the sport of badminton with a permanent home featuring integrated training, gym and medical facilities.”
“The funding provided to build these training facilities will allow athletes in both sports to reach optimal performance levels on the international stage,” she said.
Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne signed off on the project along with Martin and said “continued government investment is essential to increasing participation levels in all sports, across all sectors of society.”
“In order to achieve our participation targets, we must continue to provide world-class sporting facilities. The addition of the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre to our National Sports Campus shows our commitment to supporting athletes from the grassroots to the high performance level.”
“An ambitious vision for the development of a national sports centre of excellence is set out under the National Sports Campus masterplan and the government will continue to support Sport Ireland in bringing this vision to fruition”.
Dr. Úna May of Sport Ireland said “this is an exhilarating next step in advancing what is already a world-leading location for sport. The National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will provide our athletes with top-class training facilities and will allow us to host competitions right here in Ireland, significantly enhancing the high-performance environment on the Sport Ireland Campus.”
“It’s exactly the sort of continued investment that is absolutely crucial for boosting participation from grassroots levels to elite athletes. We’re all enjoying the Olympics, and this will only enhance high-performing Irish cyclers’ chances of international, Olympic and Paralympic medals in the future.”
“This announcement really reaffirms the “government’s commitment to bringing the ambitious Sport Ireland Campus masterplan to life. We are grateful to the government for their ongoing investment in sport and can’t wait to see the positive impact this will have across both cycling and badminton,” she said.