There were some raised eyebrows when Aqua Blue Sport's licence was not on the UCI 'approved' list. But the matter has been put to bed very quickly; which will come as a huge relief to the riders and staff.
UCI approves Aqua Blue Sport licence application
Having caused some jitters early in the week when it emerged its licence was still under review Aqua Blue Sport had better news today.
The Irish cycling team has seen its licence for next year approved by the UCI.
The world governing body issued a statement confirming the ProContinental licence application had been approved.
Related News
"In accordance with the UCI Regulations and following a full review of the registration file, including all criteria for attribution (ethical, financial and administrative), team Aqua Blue Sport (ABS – IRL) has been awarded the status of UCI Professional Continental Team," it said.
Advertisement
"Upon completion of the registration procedure for 1st and 2nd division UCI Teams for the 2018 season, there will be 18 UCI WorldTeams and 27 UCI Professional Continental Teams."
The UCI on Monday published a list of teams approved for next year.
The Irish team was the only ProContinental or WorldTour squad still under review.
Aqua Blue Sport said at the time it was submitting additional documentation to support its application for registration.
It added it was confident of a resolution "in the coming days". That expression of confidence has now proven well-founded.
Teams are assessed by the UCI under several criteria including sporting, financial, administrative and ethical.
Some squads can take longer to have their applications processed; with delays for a small number of teams generally arising each year.
Topics
