Track Worlds begin in Shanghai with 22 titles at stake

The 2026 UCI Track World Championships are scheduled to begin Wednesday at the Shanghai Velodrome, with riders competing for 22 titles over five days. The championships run through October 18 and include sprint, pursuit and endurance events for men and women. The programme features 11 men’s and 11 women’s titles, including the sprint, keirin, team sprint, team pursuit, omnium and Madison. Other events include the individual pursuit, scratch, elimination and points races, as well as the kilometre time trial. Racing is scheduled across five days, with qualifying and finals at different times. A late change to the British sprint squad has drawn attention ahead of the opening races. British Cycling withdrew Matt Richardson amid a misconduct investigation, according to reports. Another account published before the championships lists Richardson as returning from injury and included in the men’s sprint contingent. The supplied information does not establish his final status, so his participation should not be treated as confirmed. Great Britain’s Emma Finucane is among the prominent contenders in the women’s sprint events.