BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Following are the factbox on the track cycling at the August 8-24 Beijing Olympic Games:

    History

    Track cycling is a sport that dates back to the 1880s. It takes place in a velodrome, a steeply banker oval track that consists of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights.

    Track cycling started out before road cycling. In 1893, the first world championships for amateurs were held. Two years later, the first professional world championships took place.

    Track cycling has been an Olympic sport since the inaugural games of 1896 and has been present at every Olympic Games, with the exception of 1912 when only road race took place.

    The programmer at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games consists of ten track events. The time trial has been sacrificed to make room for the Olympic debut of the BMX sport.

    Events:

    Men's sprint

    Men's individual pursuit

    Men's points race

    Men's Keirin

    Men's team sprint

    Men's team pursuit

    Men's Madison

    Women's sprint

    Women's individual pursuit

    Women's points race

    Venue:

    Lao Shan Velodrome, Shijingshan district, Beijing, PR China.

    Occupying a land surface of 33,320 square meters, the Laoshan Velodrome shines as a brand new venue for the track cycling event for the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The three-story building is 33.8 meters tall, capable of seating 6,000, including 3, 000 temporary seats.