Madison world champions Kirsten Wilde and Amy Peters will not participate in the third round of the UCI Track World Cup in Hong Kong this month. The Dutch athletes have chosen to rest rather than join the national team in embattled Hong Kong.

The Dutch federation said it is keeping a close eye on the situation in Hong Kong, which has been hit by months of intensifying protests sparked by legislation allowing the extradition of criminal suspects to China. Hong Kong began its 50-year transition from British colony to Chinese rule in 1997, and the youth-led protests reflect concerns that freedoms may be curtailed under Chinese rule. Protests have become increasingly violent in recent weeks, with thousands of protesters clashing with police this week at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, about 15 km from the velodrome.

The KNWU issued a statement saying that it is "closely monitoring developments in Hong Kong, in close contact with travel groups, UCI and the Dutch government in the event of an escalation of disturbances in Hong Kong."

This year's World Cup is important for each country to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the discipline, and while the Netherlands leads the women's Madison ranking, national coach Adrienne Hermantel said that for the men's Madison team, the endurance team to earn the maximum number of slots to compete in the endurance team.

"Getting points in Madison is very important for our Olympic ranking. We've closed a big gap, but it's not a sure thing yet."

While the Dutch sprinters, benefiting from a strong performance by Harry Lavriesen, appear to be well prepared for Tokyo, the focus for Hong Kong will be on the women's team and individual sprint points.

Scratch Roy Effing

Omnium Yoeli Havik

Madison Yoeli Havik, Roy Peters

Team Sprint Women Kira Lamberink, Shanne Blaspeninckx, Steffie van der Peet Men Roy van den Berg, Harry Lovreisen, Jeffrey Hoagland, Matthijs Buchli

Individual sprint: Shanne Blaspeninckx, Steffie van der Peet, Harry Lovreisen, Jeffrey Hoagland

Cailin Shanne Blaspenninckx, Harry Lavreisen [23].