The board of Cycling Ireland last night issued a statement to all members, just 24 hours after the president of the national governing body, Liam Collins, published his own statement addressed to members.
Both of the statements were published on the Cycling Ireland website. Their publication comes in a period of controversy for the national governing body. It emerged in recent weeks Cycling Ireland had in 2020 used false quotations when applying to the Department of Sport for grants.
The two grants provisionally approved were cancelled and Cycling Ireland was suspended from applying for any more grants for 12 months. The matter was also referred by the Department to the Garda for review. Furthermore, Sport Ireland commissioned a report into Cycling Ireland after the false quotations came to light and is now supervising the implementation of the recommendations in that report.
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Collins has indicated he plans to step down from his role before the AGM in November. He believes relations at board level are poor and has asked appointed board members to resign. He has also urged elected members to resign before the next AGM and says Sport Ireland should work with Cycling Ireland to appoint new board members.
Collins has said his request to ask board members to resign, as he plans to, is no reflection on the individuals. But he believes the running of Cycling Ireland should be left to chief executive, Matt McKerrow, and his team as the recommendations of the Sport Ireland-commissioned report are being implemented.
However, in its statement - set out in full below - the board of Cycling Ireland made no mention of any resignations, though it said Sport Ireland would be engaged with so "additional" members could be appointed to the board.
The board met yesterday, Sunday, and said it had decided to call an EGM, which would be an opportunity for the issues facing Cycling Ireland to be presented to the members.
Cycling Ireland Board Statement
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Cycling Ireland is aware of a written communication made by the President, on his own behalf, to the membership of Cycling Ireland on Saturday 12 February.
This is an exciting and positive time for Cycling Ireland and for cycling in Ireland. There have been a number of exciting appointments made and initiatives taken by the Company. The President has played a key role in those developments.
The Board shares the President’s expressed desire for a unified and cohesive Board of Directors which reflects the diversity of Cycling Ireland’s membership. The best way to achieve that objective is for the Board to work together to rebuild relationships and address the issues facing the Company. The Board is committing to making that happen.
The Board is writing to the Department of Sport and Sport Ireland to advise them of the issues that appear to have given rise to the President’s communication. In addition, the Board will engage with Sport Ireland in relation to the appointment of additional directors, as suggested by the President.
The Board met this morning and resolved to convene an EGM of the Company. Proposals by certain clubs to convene an EGM would in any event have been considered at the scheduled Board meeting to be held on 21 February 2022.
The EGM will afford an opportunity for the Board to inform the members of issues the Company is facing and the steps that are being taken to address them. It will also give the members an opportunity to make their voices heard. The Board is acutely conscious that the members of the Company rightly feel that recent events do nothing to serve the interests of the sport of cycling.
The Board is committed to ensuring the company functions effectively and operates in accordance with the Governance Code for Sport, and always in the best interests of its members and the sport. The President was invited to today’s Board meeting but did not attend. He has received all Board communications and documentation subsequent to that meeting.
