By DayakDaily Team
MIRI, Aug 22: From a community idea to Malaysia’s first Velosolutions-standard facility, Miri’s newly upgraded 2.5-kilometre pump track is putting the city on the global cycling map.
According to a TVS news report, Sarawak Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew said the pump track began as a community-driven idea in 2016 before the Sarawak government supported its realisation.
He said the project initially received about RM600,000 under the Rural Transformation Project (RTP) before being progressively upgraded, bringing the track’s total length to 2.5 kilometres.
“I am very proud that Miri has Malaysia’s first pump track, and now Miri’s name is on the Velosolutions world map,” he said during a press conference on the Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifier 2026 today.
Ting said the facility’s upgrade had elevated Miri’s profile in the international pump track scene and opened the city to more opportunities to host world-class cycling events.
The newly upgraded facility will host the Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifier 2026 on Sept 5 and 6, with participants from eight countries, including Brunei, China, France, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand, already confirmed, with more countries expected to join the competition, he said.
Ting said the arrival of international participants was expected to generate economic spillover for Miri, particularly benefiting the hospitality, food, handicraft, and local business sectors.
With RM80,000 in support from the MTCP, he said the event would go beyond sports by promoting Miri globally and attracting more visitors to the city.
He added that the track’s development also involved international expertise, with four specialists from Slovakia and the Czech Republic brought in to help complete a 251-metre track section within about three weeks.
Ting said the facility demonstrated how community initiatives, government support, and international expertise could come together to create an international-standard sporting venue.
He added that the upcoming qualifier would also give young people and cycling enthusiasts the chance to experience pump track racing while further strengthening Miri’s position as a sports tourism destination. — DayakDaily
