David Hoy said he would have used it as an opportunity to honour the memory of Arthur Campbell, the President of Scottish Cycling for 32 years from 1952 to 1984.

He said: "It is fantastic honour [for Chris] but premature for an athlete still competing.

"There are perhaps other names I would put on the velodrome.

"I would have voted for the Arthur Campbell Velodrome, not the Chris Hoy Velodrome." 

Campbell, a former coalman, was also the first person to be the chairman of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland for two terms, and was the general team manager at the 1982 and 1990 Games,  before dying in 2007. 

David, who is working a consltuant on the 2014 velodrome, is nevertheless excited by the project which has also employed the same German firm that was involved in the Laoshan Velodrome at the Beijing Olympics, where Hoy won a record three gold medals to add to the one he won at Athens four years ago. 

The family company, Schurmann Architects, based in Munster, Germany, is one of the world's leading designers of velodromes. 

The firm has been involved in the design of nearly 130 velodromes worldwide, including the ones used at six Olympics before Beijing. 

Together with the adjacent National Indoor Sports Arena, the 4,000-seat velodrome will form a key venue at the Glasgow Games in six years' time and Ralph Schurmann paid a flying visit to Glasgow today. 

David Hoy said: "As far as Scottish cycling is concerned, having Ralph Schurmann involved in the design of this track is the best news we have had for a long time. 

"He is truly world-class." 

The actual velodrome building has been designed by sports venue specialists, Sport Concepts. 

Schurmann said he was impressed by plans for the £92million complex near Celtic Park, consisting of the velodrome and indoor arena. 

He said: "I like the design of the complex. 

"It's a nice setting with the two buildings, and it looks very impressive. 

"Designing velodromes is a good task for an architect - you do it for the user, the cyclist. 

"When we build a new track, the best moment is when a cyclist smiles after one or two laps. 

"Then we know that we have done our work well. 

"It must be the best possible design and quality we are capable of - that is our demand for every track we do. 

"The last one is always the best, because all the experience goes into that, and we are always trying to invent new details, new small tricks to answer the demands of cycling. 

"Although we have been doing this for many years, I think we are getting better all the time." 

David Hoy has welcomed the fact that Glasgow officials have located the Chris Hoy Velodrome close to the city centre. 

He said: "There is one fantastic thing from my point of view. 

"At most big Games there is a premium on who gets into the centre, and very often the velodrome is stuck out on an industrial estate, 10 miles from anywhere." 

The velodrome is expected to be ready by 2011, with a major cycling event being held there the following year, giving it plenty of time to bed down before 2014. 

John Scott, the chief executive of Glasgow 2014, said: "We promised to deliver world-class venues, which will be enjoyed by the world's finest athletes and the appointment of Ralph Schurmann will ensure that is the case. 

"His whole life has revolved around cycling and providing the best possible facilities. 

"I've no doubt with his impressive design pedigree that we can all look forward to a truly outstanding facility."