IRELAND CANNOT afford to build a velodrome as a practice cycling facility for the 2012 London Olympics, Minister for Sport Martin Cullen has conceded in the Dáil.

Mr Cullen said the matter could be looked at “if there were a possibility of private sector support”. However, “this is unlikely in the current economic situation”.

He was confident, however, that “significant numbers of tourists” would visit Ireland as part of a cultural Olympics running parallel to the games. Work had already begun on packages to encourage visitors to spend three days of their trip in Ireland at cities linked to sports preparation.

During arts, sport and tourism questions, Fine Gael spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell had asked about the funding of a velodrome because marketing would have to begin immediately if the velodrome was to be built.

Mr Cullen said he had hoped to provide a range of facilities at Sports Campus Ireland in Abbottstown in the run-up to the Olympics but that was “no longer possible, although some smaller-scale facilities may be put in place in times”.

“I do not have the resources to fund a velodrome. It’s as simple as that.”

Ms Mitchell said the task force report on the Olympics believed the games could be worth €140 million to the State, but she thought it would be “far greater provided that we are able to capitalise on all the opportunities” from this one-off event.

The Minister said he had met the chairman of the Olympic Games organising committee, Sebastian Coe, who suggested a cultural Olympics to run alongside the Olympics.

Discussions have begun with the Arts Council with the objective “to encourage people to take two or three days out of their stay in the UK to visit Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford or elsewhere in the State”.