World champions skip Hong Kong track World Cup to rest amid civil unrest

Madison world champions Kirsten Wild and Amy Pieters (Netherlands)
Madison world champions Kirsten Wild and Amy Pieters (Netherlands) (Image credit: Getty Images)

The reigning Madison world champions Kirsten Wild and Amy Pieters will not travel to Hong Kong for the third round of the UCI Track World Cup this month. The Dutch riders have opted to rest rather than join their national teammates in the embattled territory.

The Dutch federation said it was monitoring the situation in Hong Kong, which has been hit by months of escalating protests sparked by a bill allowing extradition of criminal suspects to China. Hong Kong began its 50-year transition from being a British colony to Chinese control in 1997, and the youth-led protest reflects fears that freedoms may be limited under China rule. The protests have grown increasingly violent in recent weeks, with thousands of protesters clashing with police at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, about 15km from the velodrome, this week.

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