Written by TC Team
The Keirin World Series 2026 brings Olympic and world champions back to Japanese tracks for the first international keirin in seven years — and Tachikawa Velodrome is one of the host velodromes. The Tachikawa round runs July 27–29, 2026.
What to expect
Keirin is sprint racing with a tactical heart. Up to nine riders on fixed-gear bikes line up behind a pacer, who slowly winds the speed up to around 50 km/h before swinging off the track with a couple of laps to go.
What follows is a mad, shoulder-to-shoulder dash for the line, the leaders touching speeds over 70 km/h. It’s loud, fast, and pretty wild.
For the World Series, Japan’s regular pros are joined by a stellar international field. Across the series, the line-up includes Harrie Lavreysen, the Dutch sprinter who swept the Olympic sprint titles in Tokyo and Paris; Matthew Richardson, the Australia-born rider billed as the fastest sprinter in history; and Olympic and world medalists such as Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand and Mathilde Gros of France.
Which stars line up on any given day depends on the round, so check the official entry list before you go.
A made-in-Japan sport
Keirin was launched as a way to raise money for rebuilding after the war. The first meet drew tens of thousands of spectators, and it spread quickly. Today there are more than 40 velodromes around the country, with racing on somewhere almost every day of the year.
Keirin has been part of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships since 1980 and an Olympic event since the Sydney 2000 Games, with a women’s race finally added at London 2012.
One of Japan’s four public sports
Keirin is one of only four forms of betting that are legal and state-sanctioned in Japan, each run by public bodies with proceeds going to local services and good causes. The other three are horse racing, motorboat racing, and auto racing (motorcycle racing).
You can put money on the racing if you like — bets start from ¥100, and the staff are used to first-timers. But you don’t have to. Plenty of people come purely for the spectacle, and never go near a betting window. There’s no pressure.
Tickets and admission
General admission is free, and there is no need to reserve anything unless you want to pay for box seats.
How to get there
Tachikawa Velodrome is about a 15-minute walk from Tachikawa Station on the JR Chūō Line, or from Tachikawa-Kita Station on the Tama Toshi Monorail.
Organizers may cancel events, alter schedules, or change admission requirements without notice. Always check official sites before heading to an event.
