UCI battle heating up

Senior figures at the International Cycling Union have encouraged amendments to legislation which could favour incumbent president Pat McQuaid’s bid for re-election, it has emerged.

As the increasingly hostile battle for the leadership of cycling’s world governing body between McQuaid and challenger Brian Cookson intensified yesterday, with verbal barbs exchanged, communication has been uncovered which gives the current chief’s detractors further ammunition.

It has emerged that an amendment proposed by the Malaysian Cycling Federation and the Asian Cycling Confederation was re-worded by the UCI, then approved by the parties which proposed it, in order to be valid for next month’s election where McQuaid is being challenged by British Cycling president Cookson.

Article 51.1 of the UCI constitution states that “the candidates for the presidency shall be nominated by the federation of the candidate”.

The suggested new wording reads that candidates should be nominated by their federation, or “two federations other than the federation of the candidate”, but now it can be revealed that UCI general director Christophe Hubschmid and Amina Lanaya, from the world governing body’s legal services department, requested the amendment be brought into being retroactively ahead of the UCI congress next month.