Kuipke

Kuipke
Ghent Velodrome

Kuipke with covered track
Full name Kuipke Gent
Location Citadelpark, Ghent (Belgium)
Coordinates 51°03′N 3°44′E / 51.050°N 3.733°E / 51.050; 3.733Coordinates: 51°03′N 3°44′E / 51.050°N 3.733°E / 51.050; 3.733
Owner City of Ghent
Capacity 3,000 seats
Field size 166,67 meters (548 ft)
Surface wood
Construction
Opened 1927
Renovated 1965
Website
kuipke.be

Kuipke or Citadel Park Velodrome is an indoor velodrome in Ghent, Belgium. It opened in 1927 and was rebuilt after a fire in 1965. It is best known from the Six Days of Ghent, held annually in November.

The velodrome is also used as an event hall for concerts and occasional basketball games. On 21 March 1959 Louis Armstrong performed in the Kuipke, and more recently, it is the location of the Flemish version of The Voice. The current track director is former track specialist Patrick Sercu.[1]

History

The first velodrome in Citadel Park in Ghent was built in 1927 to accommodate the Six Days on a fixed location in the city center. The building previously served as a greenhouse and was renamed Sportpaleis Gent. Because of its short track and unusually steep gradient, it was nicknamed "Kuipke" (English: Little Tub). On 12 November 1962 the building was destroyed by fire, after which a second velodrome was opened on the same location in 1965. The new cycling track kept its original size of 167 m and steep bankings, and was officially renamed "Kuipke".[2]

During the Six Days of Ghent in November 2006, Spanish cyclist Isaac Galvez died after colliding with Dimitri De Fauw and subsequently crashing in the balustrades.[3][4]

References

  1. ↑ "'t Kuipke". VisitGent. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "De geschiedenis van het Kuipke in Gent". Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Galvez killed in track collision". BBC Sport. 2006-11-26. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  4. ↑ Laura Weislo (26 November 2006). "Spanish sprinter Isaac Gálvez crashes hard at Gent Six Day, dies on way to hospital". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
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