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UCI presidency: Cookson ensures independence of vote-counting, but under fire over campaigning tactics

Final manoeuvering ahead of tomorrow's vote in Florence to determine who will run cycling for next four years...

Brian Cookson says that tomorrow’s UCI presidential election is a “crossroads moment” for cycling, but as an acrimonious electoral campaign draws to a close, he faces allegations of trying to exert undue influence on delegates to vote for him. The British Cycling president has also reportedly managed to prevent the votes cast in tomorrow’s secret ballot from being tallied by close colleagues of McQuaid within the UCI.

Telegraph Sport reports that originally UCI lawyer Philippe Verbiest and its manager of national federations relations Dominique Raymond, both seen as close allies of McQuaid, were due to check the votes cast by the 42 delegates at tomorrow’s election, to be held at the UCI Congress at the Salone del Cinquecento in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio.

Cookson, said to be shocked to hear of their involvement, has succeeded in having two national federation presidents should tally the votes, with their counts also checked independently instead.

The British Cycling president himself has been under fire on accusations of trying to exert undue influence on delegates, however.

According to the website Inside The Games, St Lucia Cycling Association president Cyril Mangal has written to all 178 member federations of the UCI, accusing Cookson of having employed "subversive legal tactics and intimidation" as he seeks to canvass support.

He claims he was contacted through the instant messaging service WhatsApp by Pascale Schyns, a former journalist and UCI commissaire – she left that position in 2011 reportedly due to McQuaid’s running of the governing body – who works as official translator for the Tour de France and is on the record as backing Cookson.

Mangal says in the letter seen by Inside The Games that Schyns urged him to lend his support to Cookson, with the St Lucia federation’s president maintaining that it was promised financial assistance if it went public with its endorsement with him.

He wrote: "St Lucia is very concerned that when we were contacted by someone supporting Cookson, the person indicated 'I would like you to be on the right side after the election, so you are on the priority list of the Federations which would be helped'.

"We sincerely hope that this would not be the way Mr Cookson would operate should he win the Presidency of the UCI."

He also says he was told that St Lucia would be on a "priority list of the Federations which would be helped" in the event Cookson wins.

However at a press conference in Florence yesterday – one at which Schyns herself was present, according to Inside The Games – Cookson denied that any member of his staff had been in touch with the St Lucia federation.

Mangal also criticised Igor Makarov, the billionaire owner of the Katusha team, president of the Russian cycling federation and a member of the UCI management committee, for his role in compiling a dossier alleging corruption on the part of McQuaid and other UCI officials.

The UCI president has vehemently denied the contents of the dossier, which was shown to members of the UCI management committee at their meeting in Bergen, Norway, in June. A summary was leaked earlier this month.

"Makarov...has gone on a frolic of his own in his deceptive campaign against President Pat McQuaid," he wrote.

"Now tell me, what gives Mr Makarov the right to independently hire private investigators and unilaterally decide that the UCI Ethics Commission is not independent?

"Who gave Mr Makarov the authority to completely ignore the disciplinary mechanisms of the UCI... So are we supposed to believe that Mr Makarov is independent and that he alone can decide who is independent?

"If there is genuine doubt why can't Mr. Makarov and company take their complaint to the highest authority which is the UCI congress?"

In a press release issued yesterday, Cookson said he was optimistic about his chances of succeeding McQuaid:

I'm feeling confident heading into the last 48 hours of the campaign and looking forward to meeting and talking with colleagues from around the world.

I have been humbled by the well wishes I have received from the cycling community across the globe, including many ordinary cycling fans, who have told me how much they want to see change in the leadership of the UCI.

On Friday we have the opportunity to begin to respond to those hopes and aspirations and embrace a new style of governance, a new way of working and enter an exciting new era for the UCI and our sport.

We have to begin a process which will restore trust and credibility in all that we do.

I do not say this just because it is the right thing to do.

I say it because at the heart of my vision for the UCI is a passionate yet simple belief.

It is this - by restoring the reputation of our International Federation our sport, cycling, will start to benefit from new investment, greater broadcast coverage, more cities wanting to host events and ultimately more riders and fans being drawn into cycling.

Friday is a crossroads moment.

When delegates cast their vote I ask that they think of those millions of people who love our sport, who want to encourage their children to be a part of it as cyclists and as fans.

I want to make our sport one where people can admire their heroes without doubt, aspire to compete, be a professional, even win a Tour or an Olympic medal and know that their friends will respect and not question them.

Ultimately, it is about a return to our core values and if we are prepared to take that step then we begin to tap into the amazing potential that we all know exists.

That is what motivates me, what has driven me as President of British Cycling and why I believe I would be a UCI President that the cycling family can be proud of.

McQuaid, seeking a third term, saw his original nominations withdrawn by Cycling Ireland, whose members voted against it, and Swiss Cycling, which also backed him.

In late July, it was revealed by the UCI that he had also been nominated by the Thai and Moroccan federations, the announcement made in a press release outlining a proposed change to the governing body’s constitution that would allow a presidential candidate to be nominated by any two national federations.

McQuaid has subsequently insisted that he is a member of both those federations, and that they nominated him prior to the 29 June deadline, even though the first anyone heard of those nominations was almost a month later, meaning that even without the proposed rule change, they are valid.

But when it announced the proposed amendment, which will be voted on tomorrow prior to the vote for the presidency, the UCI also said that exceptionally the change, if voted through, would have retrospective effect and apply to the current election – something, it has been claimed, added at the insistence of senior UCI officials.

That led to accusations by Cookson and supporters including Makarov that McQuaid is seeking to manipulate the election and subvert the democratic process. The UCI president, meanwhile, has accused his rival of being a front man for the Russian and others, and has said Cookson is trying to engineer “a coronation and not an election.”

Should McQuaid go on to win the election tomorrow – Cookson himself is said to be confident if securing more than enough votes to succeed him – it is likely that an appeal will be made to the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding that change to the constitution, assuming it is voted through. Makarov has already said he will challenge the legality of a McQuaid victory.

Tomorrow's vote may not therefore be the end of the process.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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21 comments

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JonD | 10 years ago
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Another curious little thing:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/10336522/UCI-impose...

"Correspondence leaked to Telegraph Sport indicates the UCI last week had no objection to either candidate employing visual aids during their 10-minute presentations, with director general Christophe Hubschmid’s assistant emailing them to request a “storage device” in order to facilitate the presentation of the material.

However, she followed that up on Thursday with an email to management committee members making it clear no “backdrop” could be used by candidates during their speeches.

British Cycling president Cookson used audio-visual material as part of a presentation to the European Cycling Union almost two weeks ago in order to help him secure their backing at Friday’s presidential election in Florence.

UCI president McQuaid opted for a straight speech and was duly thrashed 27-10 in the subsequent vote to establish which of them Europe’s 14 delegates would be mandated to vote for on Friday.

One delegate in Florence who did not wish to be identified said: “The switch on this is bizarre and a bit desperate. The outside world is watching and the UCI are now not even allowing the use of visuals. Sadly, it symbolises the way things are run under the current regime.” "

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ColT | 10 years ago
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Jesus H C.

This fiasco is almost as hilarious as some of the threads on here.  3

Please make it stop.

Ta

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Pitstone Peddler | 10 years ago
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St Lucia, snigger snigger. Please make this all go away. My fear is Cookson will win but McQuaid will the appeal etc. Its shameful he (McQuaid) is behaving like this, hes a fucking lunatic.

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notfastenough | 10 years ago
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So how does it work today, is it like a normal election where we get interim updates, or more like the election for the pope where we know nothing until the conclusion?

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Gaelicbike | 10 years ago
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So Mangal receives a text message from an anonymous internet based text-messaging account and assumes that is someone linked to Cookson, without checking to see if it really is or someone pretending to be from Cookson  7

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Pondo replied to Gaelicbike | 10 years ago
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Gaelicbike wrote:

So Mangal receives a text message from an anonymous internet based text-messaging account and assumes that is someone linked to Cookson, without checking to see if it really is or someone pretending to be from Cookson  7

The disappointing thing for me is that some half-baked business website ran the story, as though it's a worthy news item.

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KirinChris | 10 years ago
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This highlights one of the reasons why cycling is so poorly managed.

The fact that someone like the head of the St Lucia Cycling Association is making decisions that affect worldwide cycling is ridiculous.

St Lucia is an island of a few hundred square kilometres and a population under 200,000. The association doesn't have a website and is run by someone using a hotmail account.

From the look of their Facebook page there seem to be about 30 active cyclists, and that was the national championships.

Basically they are equivalent to a small amateur club.

Now I'm not saying that developing countries should be ignored but explain to me how St Lucia is so important that they get a say in the future of international cycling but the President of say Dulwich Paragon with 650 members doesn't ?

Let's be honest - a lot of these people are probably less qualified or experienced than the average club administrator anywhere else.

They are on a gravy train and unfortunately no UCI president can reform it because they depend on their votes. Is it any wonder the sport is so badly run ?

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step-hent replied to KirinChris | 10 years ago
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abudhabiChris wrote:

This highlights one of the reasons why cycling is so poorly managed.

The fact that someone like the head of the St Lucia Cycling Association is making decisions that affect worldwide cycling is ridiculous.

St Lucia is an island of a few hundred square kilometres and a population under 200,000. The association doesn't have a website and is run by someone using a hotmail account.

From the look of their Facebook page there seem to be about 30 active cyclists, and that was the national championships.

Basically they are equivalent to a small amateur club.

Now I'm not saying that developing countries should be ignored but explain to me how St Lucia is so important that they get a say in the future of international cycling but the President of say Dulwich Paragon with 650 members doesn't ?

Let's be honest - a lot of these people are probably less qualified or experienced than the average club administrator anywhere else.

They are on a gravy train and unfortunately no UCI president can reform it because they depend on their votes. Is it any wonder the sport is so badly run ?

Ooh, ooh, can we propose a rule change that Dulwich Paragon should be given a vote at the UCI Congress? That's my club  4

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gforce | 10 years ago
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So Pat has a lifetime ban from competing in the olympics, BUT has a seat on the IOC?! Mental...
Surely anyone who has managed to get a lifetime olympic ban shouldn't be part of ANY sporting governing body?!

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Pondo | 10 years ago
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I'm going to write to that Duncan MacKay feller - surely even a half-baked business website can't just go around spouting unsubstabtiated slander like that?

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The Rumpo Kid | 10 years ago
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Pat's always claimed to be a believer in transparency, and this is as transparent as they come. "Pat McQuaid is Cycling's undisputed champion of the anti-doping cause." Really Cyril?

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dp24 | 10 years ago
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Reading that letter, one could be forgiven for thinking that the author had been made promises by the other party in this election...

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notfastenough | 10 years ago
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@JonD, I thought that.

Won't surprise me in the slightest if McQuaid gets back in. Either way, I'll be keeping an eye on news feeds because I reckon the muck really is about to hit the aircon.

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atlaz | 10 years ago
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He brings up Churchill but doesn't compare anti-Pat people to the Nazi's which is a missed opportunity. Nice surprise with the South Africa bit. Overall I'd give him 7/10 in the tinfoil-hat stakes which isn't bad for a first effort.

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Sadly Biggins | 10 years ago
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If Mangal thinks that Cookson's campaign is in any way similar to what went on in apartheid South Africa then he should seek urgent medical attention.

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andybnk | 10 years ago
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Thank god this is nearly over!

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_SiD_ replied to andybnk | 10 years ago
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You think? Sounds like it's only just begun.

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Simon_MacMichael | 10 years ago
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Thanks for that link, this bit caught my attention.

"South Africa had rules in the Apartheid era which were discriminatory and perpetrated atrocities on the majority of population for decades, until the world said enough is enough. The Cookson campaign is reminiscent of this scourge of history as they try to bully the majority into accepting their way."

An unfortunate analogy given that McQuaid has a lifetime ban from competing at the Olympics because he competed under a false name in a sanctions busting race in, er, Apartheid era South Africa...

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arrieredupeleton replied to Simon_MacMichael | 10 years ago
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Simon_MacMichael wrote:

Thanks for that link, this bit caught my attention.

"South Africa had rules in the Apartheid era which were discriminatory and perpetrated atrocities on the majority of population for decades, until the world said enough is enough. The Cookson campaign is reminiscent of this scourge of history as they try to bully the majority into accepting their way."

An unfortunate analogy given that McQuaid has a lifetime ban from competing at the Olympics because he competed under a false name in a sanctions busting race in, er, Apartheid era South Africa...

That quote is singularly the most vulgar, inappropriate and insensitive thing I've read in a long time. Talk about desperate times and desperate measures. It's only peddling bikes.

Please make this all end.

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edster99 replied to Simon_MacMichael | 10 years ago
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Simon_MacMichael wrote:

Thanks for that link, this bit caught my attention.

"South Africa had rules in the Apartheid era which were discriminatory and perpetrated atrocities on the majority of population for decades, until the world said enough is enough. The Cookson campaign is reminiscent of this scourge of history as they try to bully the majority into accepting their way."

An unfortunate analogy given that McQuaid has a lifetime ban from competing at the Olympics because he competed under a false name in a sanctions busting race in, er, Apartheid era South Africa...

Spectacular. Brian Cookson = P.W.Botha? Does he run midnight kidnapping and murder squads ??

If that doesnt work, perhaps he'll be compared to Geobbels, or failing that, Hitler.

Truly pathetic.

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JonD | 10 years ago
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http://www.insidethegames.biz/files/Letter_to_UCI_Federations_on_Threats...

Reading the letter, certainly makes one wonder if Mangal is as non-partisan as he might wish people to believe - swap the signature for that of Fat Pat and I'm not convinced the content would change much at all.

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