With embattled International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid in an intense contest for his job against British challenger Brian Cookson, the cycling body’s election rules are set to be changed.
The UCI said late on Monday it is preparing an amendment to its statutes, which could safeguard McQuaid’s nomination for the September election.
Cookson denounced the tactic on Tuesday as “a clear sign of desperation” by his opponent, who must also give up his International Olympic Committee membership if the presidency is lost.
Photo: EPA
McQuaid is trying to secure a valid candidacy after his home Irish federation withdrew its support and a nomination from Switzerland, where he lives, is being legally challenged next month.
Malaysian officials now propose changing rules which would allow any two UCI members worldwide, not just home federations, to nominate a candidate — despite the original deadline passing in June.
“The Malaysian Federation and [Asian confederation] state that their aims are to reinforce the independence of future UCI presidents by ensuring they are able to carry out the role based on serving the global interests of cycling, independently from those of any single nominating national federation,” the UCI said in a statement.
Photo: AFP
The proposed rule change was met with opposition from USA Cycling.
“At this critical time for our sport, we must all stand together and demand strict adherence to the principles of integrity, fair play, transparency, ethical conduct and good governance,” USA Cycling president and CEO Steve Johnson said.
“A dramatic midstream change to the procedures governing the ongoing election is inconsistent with these principles and no more sensible than changing the rules of a bike race after the race has started,” he added.
McQuaid, who insisted in a statement on Tuesday that “no one has broken the rules” makes his bid for a third four-year term against a background of widespread attacks on the UCI and its credibility. Those intensified in the fallout from the Lance Armstrong doping affair and continued revelations of an endemic culture of doping while the UCI was led by McQuaid’s predecessor and mentor, Hein Verbruggen.
The UCI has pledged to create an independent panel to investigate claims it colluded in protecting Armstrong from scrutiny during his career and that US$125,000 donated by the now-disgraced rider was paid to cover up suspicious doping tests.
Cookson was nominated by British Cycling, which he has led for 17 years. He promises to restore cycling’s reputation and create an independent body running the sport’s anti-doping program.
“It is no wonder that many in the cycling family as well as fans and sponsors have lost faith in the UCI to govern ethically when the man at the top of the organization is prepared to embarrass an entire sport in an attempt to try and cling onto power,” he said in a statement.
The amendment can be voted on at the Sept. 27 election meeting in Florence, Italy, and retrospectively apply a deadline of this month for nominations.
In Florence, a 42-voter electoral college will then choose the president by secret ballot.
TOUR DE POLOGNE
AFP, RZESZOW, Poland
Norway’s former world road race champion Thor Hushovd won the third stage of the Tour de Pologne after the peloton covered 226km between Krakow and Rzeszow after two opening stages in Italy.
Australia’s Mark Renshaw and Steele von Hoff took second and third, while Poland’s Rafal Majka of Saxo-Tinkoff retained the leader’s yellow jersey and carried a four second lead into yesterday’s 231.5km ride from Tarnow to Katowice.
British rider and last year’s Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins continues to struggle this season and finished 49th overall, already 23 minutes, 43 seconds adrift of Majka.
Following a rest day on Monday after two days in the Dolomites, 35-year-old former Tour de France green jersey winner Hushovd showed he had lost none of the strength in his legs and indicated to the Swiss BMC team that the three-year contract he signed with them recently should yield positive results despite his age.
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
The Edmonton Oilers on Thursday defeated the Dallas Stars 6-3 to book their place in the Stanley Cup Finals, setting up a repeat of last year’s NHL showpiece against reigning champions the Florida Panthers. The Oilers, bidding to become the first Canadian team to win the NHL’s championship series since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, head to Florida for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series set for Wednesday. Florida, who are to play in the NHL showpiece for the third straight season, won last year’s title 4-3 to extend Canada’s decades-long Stanley Cup drought. Connor McDavid led Edmonton back to the championship series on
RSS