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UCI to bar riders who dope from moving into team management

New measure adopted at UCI Management Committee's meeting in Maastricht...

Riders found guilty of a doping offence are to be barred from taking on a role in team management once their racing careers are over as a result of a new rule being introduced by the UCI with effect from 1 July.

While the measure will not be applied retrospectively, meaning that those currently in team management positions who were sanctioned during their own careers can carry on working, it will be welcomed by anti-doping campaigners as an important step in combating the culture of doping within cycling by breaking the chain that sees the habits of one generation passed on to the next.

The new article to the UCI regulations was approved at the Maastricht meeting of the governing body’s Management Committee, and aims “to prevent anyone found guilty of infringing the Anti-Doping Regulation during his cycling career from obtaining a licence authorising him to take on a role in cycling as a member of a team’s staff.”

The UCI Management Committee said in a statement that it is “fully aware of the difficulties that the adoption of such a measure could imply, but wishes to once again reconfirm its determination to take all steps possible to oppose any form of illegal practice in our sport.”

The statement continued: “As education and prevention are the backbones of the UCI’s anti-doping policy, the ability to act on the riders’ entourage, particularly the younger members, is consequently one of the strategic priorities for the future.”

The Management Committee also ratified the Professional Cycling Council’s proposal earlier this week that riders coming back from a ban of two years or more will not be able to contribute towards their team’s world ranking points total for a period of two years after their return to the sport.

New regulations to create an intra-season transfer window, first announced earlier this week, were also approved.

The UCI also confirmed that Christophe Hubschmid from Switzerland will replace France’s Jean-Pierre Strebel as Director-General. The latter steps down after 18 years but will continue to act as president of the World Cycling Centre Foundation as well as carrying on his roles in the UCI Anti-Doping Foundation and Global Cycling Promotion.

The governing body has also given its backing to a new event starting in November 2012 to be called the UCI World Cycling Forum, which it says “will allow for the creation of an ideal platform for everyone involved in the cycling world and will offer the unique opportunity to meet with the UCI and all its partners – such as industry representatives, sponsors, public authorities and media.”

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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8 comments

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Tony Farrelly | 12 years ago
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The UCI can pass whatever rules it likes, but for them to work they've got to be legally enforceable in the countries in which the UCI operates. I'd like to hear a lawyer's opinion but I'm not sure the UCI could enforce such a rule without breaking the law, in the EU at least. It's the same reason why there are no lifetime bans, which it could be argued such a rule would amount to.

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Michael5 | 12 years ago
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About time too... far too many dopes in sports management and administration. Oops, I meant to say 'dopers'.

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onlyonediane | 12 years ago
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posturing, David Milliar would be barred with this rule.

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Tony Farrelly | 12 years ago
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"The UCI World Cycling Forum" crikey how many new revenue streams can they come up with? They'll be launching their own budget airline and a credit card next.

As to the ban on sanctioned riders moving in to management - I'd be interested to know if that is legally enforceable, with regards to EU employment law and to human rights law as well or is it just more posturing?

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Velo_Alex | 12 years ago
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Ridiculous and unnecessary? Are you secretly Pat McQuaid?!

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JonMack | 12 years ago
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This is a completely ridiculous and unnecessary rule.

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Simon_MacMichael | 12 years ago
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It's interesting that you can can get a seat on the International Olympic Committee, and all the perks and privileges that confers, while simultaneously possessing a lifetime ban from ever competing in the Games.

And governing bodies wonder why the press and public have a pop at them every now and again?

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KirinChris | 12 years ago
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I hope the UCI is consistent and bars anyone who has been banned from being in its own management.

Say, someone who was banned from the Olympics for breaking the sporting boycott on apartheid South Africa.

Or is racism OK, unlike drugs ?

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