Brian Cookson has launched a strongly worded attack on UCI election rival Pat McQuaid over what he says is "an attempt to change the rules during the game"
Pat McQuaid's only rival in the election for the office of UCI president, Brian Cookson has launched a strongly worded attack on the Irishman after it emerged rules that could aid McQuaid’s election bid may be changed in September and back dated to the current period.
Cookson, the president of British Cycling, has also revealed he has written to the UCI’s director general to complain about a proposal put forward by the Malaysian cycling federation. If adopted, the mooted change would enable any two cycling federations to come together to nominate a candidate to contest a UCI presidential election.
At present a nomination to run from the office can only come from a would-be candidate’s home federation or the national cycling body where they reside. McQuaid has been rejected at an EGM of his home federation Cycling Ireland.
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And while he has secured a nomination from Swiss Cycling, that is open to legal challenge.
It has now emerged he has the backing of the Thai and Moroccan cycling federations and that they will nominate him if the Malaysian proposal is passed. It will be voted on at the UCI’s congress in Italy in September, where the presidential vote will also be decided.
And the UCI has said if it is passed, the new rule will be backdated to the current period, thus allowing any two federations nominate McQuaid between now and the end of August.
It means if McQuaid loses the Swiss backing but the new proposal is passed in September and backdated, his running for election in September will still be possible because of the now declared support from the Thai and Moroccan federations.
In a statement today, Cookson has reacted angrily to the new twist.
"The efforts to change the nomination and electoral process announced last night on behalf of the UCI director general are a clear sign of desperation from the incumbent president, Pat McQuaid.
"This latest twist appears to be nothing more than a fraught attempt to undemocratically and unconstitutionally impact on the process while it is underway.”
"It is no wonder that many in the cycling family as well as fans and sponsors have lost faith in the UCI to govern ethically when the man at the top of the organisation is prepared to embarrass an entire sport in an attempt to try and cling onto power."
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"It is surely completely out of order to allow a proposal to change an electoral procedure, once that procedure is under way.”
“These proposals should never have been permitted onto the agenda, let alone given the validity of acceptance for the current election, especially considering that the UCI management committee have not even had the opportunity to discuss the matter.”
"In addition to this, which I can only describe as an attempt to change the rules during the game, I note with astonishment that Pat McQuaid is now shown on the election papers as being nominated by three federations.”
"The Constitution is quite clear that candidates should be nominated by their own federation. Pat is shown with the designation (IRL) next to his name but, as is well known, Cycling Ireland withdrew his nomination.”
"Now we are also informed by the director general that Pat has membership of three national federations and four if you include Ireland. How can this be?”
"There is certainly no provision in the constitution, as it now stands, for nomination by more than one federation.”
"This is even more astonishing as I, as a properly nominated candidate, have not been given the opportunity to seek nomination by federations other than my own.”
"I have asked the director general how and why has Pat been given this opportunity? What was the process by which these nominations were permitted onto the electoral documents? Why was I not advised of this possibility and allowed to seek further nominations from federations around the world?”
"It now also appears that any two national federations are to be allowed to make further nominations for the presidency before a new deadline of 30th August. Even though under the provisions of the UCI constitution nominations actually closed on 30th June. What sort of organisation attempts to rewrite the rules once an election has actually begun - it smacks of attempted dictatorship.”
"It seems to me that, at best, all of this is bringing the validity and impartiality of the terms and conditions of the electoral process into serious question. At worst, this is beginning to look like a concerted attempt to manipulate the election in an undemocratic and unconstitutional way.”
"I know that other members of the management committee share my concerns and this will be expressed directly to the UCI director general. The fight for a democratic and transparent process is now on and the choice for the voters has never been clearer."
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