Track racing at the 2024 Summer Olympics: what you need to know, what disciplines are involved

One part of the cycling programme at the 2024 Summer Olympics will be track racing, and the Dailysports team has put together a quick rundown of what you need to know about these disciplines.

Track racing at the 2024 Summer Olympics: what are the disciplines?

Track racing includes six disciplines each for men and women.

The Omnium is an all-round cycling event in which the most capable riders win the scratch, tempo race, elimination race and points race.

Individually, these disciplines are represented at the World Championships, but at the Olympics they are combined into one event.

The keirin is a sprint involving several riders who start the course behind the bike, and the last three laps are used to play for the next laps or prize money.

In a Madison, or pairs race, competitors cover a long distance, alternating between each other and scoring points at intermediate or final finishes, and competing for laps of advantage, which are also scored.

In it, places are allocated according to the points scored.

• Read also: Cycling at the 2024 Summer Olympics: disciplines, where and when the races will take place

In the Team Pursuit, four competitors start from different points on the track and at least three of the quartet must reach the finish line.

In the Team Sprint, three riders start each, but after each 250 metre lap, one of the riders is eliminated and only one rider reaches the finish line.

In the single sprint there are duels up to two wins, but otherwise everything is like in Madison.

Track races, disciplines:

• Sprint
• Team sprint
• Keirin
• Team pursuit
• Omnium
• Madison

Track racing at the 2024 Summer Olympics: who will compete?

In track races, the tickets were also distributed according to the International Cycling Union ranking, but here a separate Olympic ranking came into play, which was formed based on the results of the 2022-2024 season.

It should be noted that the tickets were not named, i.e. even if a rider won the right to participate in the Olympics in an individual race, the National Olympic Committee of a particular country independently decided who would participate in the Games.

Track racing at the 2024 Summer Olympics: when and where will the races take place?

Track disciplines will start immediately after the non-track disciplines, namely on 5 August. It is noteworthy that already on this day the winners of the women's team sprint will be determined.

Madison, on the other hand, will start immediately with the finals: on 9 August for women and 10 August for men. The last finals, namely in the women's ominum and sprint, as well as the men's keirin, will be held on the closing day of the games - 11 August.

All track races will take place at the National Velodrome.

History of track racing at the Olympic Games

The first track races appeared at the Games in 1896, and it was from that time that the individual sprint came to us. By and large, the track racing programme remained unchanged until 2000, when the keylin, madison and team sprint were added.

The most recent innovation in track racing was the introduction of the ominum at the London 2012 Games.

The women's disciplines at the Olympics also started with the individual sprint, and it was at the London Games that the women's programme was significantly expanded with the addition of four more disciplines.

The British are the best in track racing: 33 gold medals, 25 silver medals and 20 bronze medals. In total - 78 awards.