The Story Behind Malaysia's First Bicycle Velodrome in Ipoh, Perak
Do you know what a bicycle velodrome is? For the loyal readers of orangperak.com, a bicycle velodrome is an arena or stadium for track cycling sports. Modern bicycle velodromes have features like those we see on television during cycling events in an arena, which include an oval track with curves and specific banking angles.
The first bicycle velodrome in Malaysia is known as the Velodrom Rakyat and was built in the capital of Perak, the city of Ipoh. Like every building in this Perak state capital, the Velodrom Rakyat has its own unique historical value, which is very interesting to share with the loyal readers of orangperak.com regarding the story behind the construction of Malaysia's first bicycle velodrome. Who was the individual who worked to build this first bicycle velodrome in Malaysia? That figure is none other than an individual who is now highly respected and is one of the important and honored figures in the state of Perak.
Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh
His name is Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh. Who exactly is Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh? His face is often seen with the Sultan of Perak, isn't it? Continue reading to learn more about his personality and brief biography.
Velodrom Rakyat
Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh was born in January 1948 in India. He is the son of a happy couple, Bhai Gurdial Singh Gill and Puan Daljit Kaur. For the loyal readers of orangperak.com, his father, Bhai Gurdial Singh Gill, was a priest at the Wadda Gurdwara Sahib located in the capital of Perak, the city of Ipoh.
Velodrom Rakyat
The President of GERAKSIKH, Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh, received his early primary and secondary education at the Anglo Chinese School in Ipoh. It was also there that Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh completed his secondary education. Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh is married to Puan Sri Datin Seri Suveender Kaur and they have been blessed with four children, three of whom are boys and one is a girl.
Velodrom Rakyat before restoration
Returning to Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh's education, shortly after completing his secondary education, he worked as a freelance journalist for a short period. His work involved contributing reports or photos to existing news organizations on a continuous basis, and he was paid individually for each of his works published for public viewing.
Velodrom Rakyat
Later, Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh left for the United Kingdom to pursue a degree in law. In 1975, he successfully earned a Bachelor of Laws with honors from the University of London, King's College, and also qualified as a "barrister" from Lincoln’s Inn, which means "barrister-at-law" or "bar-at-law." A barrister is a legal status in common law jurisdictions where the holder is an expert in advocacy and litigation in court. Shortly after completing his higher education abroad, he finally returned to Malaysia and joined the Malaysian Judicial Service. Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh then served as a Magistrate, contributing his efforts to our beloved country, Malaysia. He personally chose to serve in the city of Ipoh, where he grew up.
Velodrom Rakyat before restoration
Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh has personally been involved in many non-governmental organizations across various fields such as sports, community, local society, and social affairs. In sports, he is very fond of and active in cycling. For the loyal readers of orangperak.com, Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh was the individual responsible for leading the 1986 project to build the first bicycle velodrome in our country, Malaysia, which was named Velodrom Rakyat.
Velodrom Rakyat under restoration
One of Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh's tireless efforts that not many people know about is that he personally went door-to-door to the homes of residents around Ipoh at that time to collect donations from the public so that the dream of building the first bicycle velodrome in Malaysia, located in Ipoh, could be realized. The total public funds he successfully collected amounted to RM3.25 million. Herbert Schumann, an architect from Germany, and Ron Web, a track builder from Australia, were the individuals entrusted with building the Velodrom Rakyat.
Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh, Herbert Schumann and Ron Web
The 34th Sultan of Perak at that time,
the late Sultan Azlan Shah
supported and praised all the efforts of Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh in making this project, which makes the state of Perak proud, a success. The bicycle velodrome initiated by Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh began construction in 1985 and was completed four years later. It was used for the first time during the 1989 SEA Games.
Sultan Nazrin and Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh
In 1988, Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh was appointed as the President of the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF), and in 1993, he was appointed as the Secretary-General of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC). Four years later, Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh was unanimously elected to serve as the President of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) and also as a management board member for the International Cycling Union (UCI), which is the world governing body for cycling. If you are a fan of cycling sports, it is only right that you know about his contributions to the cycling scene in our country. For all the loyal readers of orangperak.com, Tan Sri Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh also received the UCI Merit award, the highest recognition in the cycling world. It is a very proud achievement, and all his efforts deserve to be appreciated and known by our society today.
