Brian Cookson knows what's in the new report on doping and how the UCI handled it. He warned people needed to prepare for uncomfortable reading.
The man who took over at the head of the UCI from Irish man Pat McQuaid has said a major new report into the world governing body’s record on doping – which includes the period McQuaid was at the helm – will make for very uncomfortable reading.
Brian Cookson said the report of the Independent Commission into historical doping has uncovered a large “can of worms” and that unless there are very good reasons, it will “name names”.
The commission was established when Cookson took over from McQuaid 16 months ago and has been looking into historic doping within the sport.
Its examination of the doping problem includes how the UCI handled the issue.
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Disgraced doper Lance Armstrong has said he has spoken to the commission.
Lance Armstrong's comeback in 2009 resulted in a chain of events that caused his downfall and blew the lid on doping, just as the Festina affair had done in 1998 when a team official was caught with a car full of doping products as he was travelling to the Dublin-bound carry ferry for the start of the Tour de France.
However, it remains unclear if McQuaid and his predecessor Hein Verbruggen have given evidence. The period covered in the report straddles the presidencies of both men, though Cookson has made no reference to either in his latest comments.
“When you open a can of worms you find a lot of worms,” Cookson told The Guardian newspaper at the World Track Championships in Paris.
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“I think it’s going to be very interesting - there will be a lot of uncomfortable things there.”
Many have complained that for somebody who took office on an anti doping ticket, the rate of progress under Cookson has been painfully slow.
However, the Briton has suggested the Independent Commission report to be published in the next month or so is a vital step in a long game against doping.
It's unclear if Pat McQuaid has made a contribution to the Independent Commission's investigation.
“I think there will be a lot of uncomfortable reading in it and we should all prepare ourselves for that,” Cookson said.
“That was always going to be part of what was going to happen. I don’t think there will be a lot of new revelations, because mostly we have a good idea of what was happening and how widespread the problems were.
“I don’t think there’s any other sport has opened itself up to this level of scrutiny. It’s something I committed to and I’m proud we’ve done.
“It will be uncomfortable but it will be a good lesson that other sports can learn from as well.”
He suggested the new report would assist the UCI in determining who the “fit and proper” people were for positions of influence within the sport of cycling, including within professional teams at present.
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