Glasgow Commonwealth Games venue opens to the public

Sir Chris Hoy was the first person to ride in the velodrome

One of the main venues for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has opened its doors to the public.

The £113m Emirates Arena, near Celtic Park in the city's east end, includes a velodrome, an indoor running track and sports halls.

Britain's greatest Olympian, Sir Chris Hoy, gave his seal of approval to the velodrome which bears his name when he tested it earlier this week.

About 400 school children attended the opening of the complex on Friday.

Other sports facilities at the arena include basketball, netball and five-a-side football.

It will host badminton events at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The multi-sport venue also contains a 200m state-of-the-art indoor running track which will host the high-profile meets that used to take place in the Kelvin Hall, and where athletes can train throughout the year.

At the touch of a button, the bends of the athletics track can be lowered to create a larger flat arena for other sports use.

The versatile arena has 5,000 permanent seats.

The velodrome, which is also part of the arena complex, is a 250m track constructed out of Siberian timber and has a permanent viewing capacity of 2,000, with an additional 2,000 temporary seats for Glasgow 2014.

There is also a closed road circuit amidst the grounds for a number of outdoor cycling practices.