Brian Cookson, seen here on a rental bike in London, has said Swiss Cycling's withdrawal of support for Pat McQuaid is an event of "real significance" in the UCI presidential election campaign.
Pat McQuaid and his only rival in the UCI presidential election campaign, Brian Cookson, have squared off again today, with the Irish man telling his rival he will run for office and has plenty of support.
McQuaid published a statement today via his Dublin-based public relations representative in which he sounded defiant despite Swiss Cycling confirming today, Wednesday, it had withdrawn its nomination of the incumbent to run in the presidential election next month.
Having already seen rejected his bid to be nominated by Cycling Ireland at an EGM of the Irish cycling community in June, McQuaid is now depending on nominations from the Thai and Moroccan cycling federations.
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And while these nominations look set to be legally challenged, the former Irish international bike rider has insisted his plans to stand for election to the post he has held for the past eight years will not be derailed.
That mooted legal challenge to the Thai and Moroccan nominations will centre on the wording of UCI rules for the running of presidential elections stating a candidate can be nominated by “the federation of the candidate”.
McQuaid believes those words mean any federation he is a member of – and he is a member of the Thai and Moroccan federations – can nominate him.
Any legal action will likely challenge that interpretation and argue a candidate can only be nominated by a federation he has real links to, the federation of the country where the candidate is from or where they live, or perhaps the federation the candidate first approached, or whose backing was first secured.
The grounds for the challenge will likely become clear soon, as will the identity of those taking that challenge, as the election is a little over one month away.
McQuaid today said Cookson will not escape the fact that UCI delegates will decide who will lead the world governing body for the next four years.
“This election will be decided by the voting delegates at the UCI congress in Florence, Italy, on September 27th despite attempts by (Cookson) and those who support his campaign to eliminate me from the contest,” he said.
He believed his opponent was now trying to bury the election process in legal argument in a bid to discredit him and remove him from office.
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"My other nominations from the Thai Cycling Association and the Féderation Royal Marocanine are valid and were all received in accordance with the UCI rules by the designated closing date,” he said.
He added of Swiss Cycling’s no-warning decision to withdraw its support for him: "This was apparently a snap decision in the face of mounting pressure from the (Skins clothing) company who financed the challenge to my Swiss nomination and whose actions threatened to condemn the Swiss Cycling Federation to financial ruin had it proceeded to an arbitration hearing and lost.”
“Federations all over the world want me to stand for re-election. I am standing as a candidate for re-election. That is not going to change. I am calling on Brian Cookson and his campaign supporters to accept that and to put an end to their concerted attempts to refuse the congress a choice between two candidates.”
For his part, British Cycling president Cookson said the Swiss withdrawing their support for McQuaid was “of real significance”.
“It leaves Mr McQuaid in a very difficult position, particularly when viewed alongside his failure to receive a nomination from his own national federation as required under the constitution of the UCI.”
"It also places further question marks against his other 'nominations' whose validity is in serious doubt and remain a matter of genuine concern to many in the cycling world.”
"No attempts at manipulation and legal bluster can take away the doubts and questions.”
"The important principle in any democracy is that you must respect the rules as they are, not how you'd like them to be. My hope remains that we have a democratic process based on the rules of the race when it started rather than those made up half way through.”
"For my part I remain focused on setting out the policies and the vision that I believe is needed for the UCI and the sport of cycling to move forward. I am proud of the total support I have from my own federation, British Cycling, and the growing support I am receiving from the international cycling community as this election unfolds."
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