Cycling Track at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Women were added to the cycling program at the 1984 Olympics, but only in a road race. Men competed on the track in the kilometre time trial, match sprint, individual pursuit, and team pursuit, and a new event was added – the points race.

The track events were conducted at the Olympic Velodrome at California State University at Dominguez Hills. It had a wooden 333.33 metre track, was outdoors, unlike in 1976 and 1980, and was specially built for the Olympics under the sponsorship of 7-Eleven, a chain of convenience stores. The 7-Eleven corporation would become the first company to sponsor an American professional road racing team (beginning in 1981), and in 1986, that team would become the first American team in the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.

The other significant occurrence in cycling in 1984 was the absent nations due to the Soviet boycott, notably the Soviet Union, Poland, and the East Germans. In their absence, Americans Steve Hegg won the individual pursuit and Mark Gorski won the match sprint. After the Olympics it was revealed that the American cyclists had used blood doping in preparation for the Games, which was not illegal at the time, but was still considered controversial and would be banned by the IOC in 1985.