New Independent Commission moves closer, UCI also makes progress in relation to women’s cycling commission
Fulfilling a promise he made as part of his election manifesto, UCI president Brian Cookson has announced the salary that he will draw as head of cycling’s governing body. At an extraordinary meeting of the UCI’s management committee, a number of measures were agreed, including the payment of an annual salary of 340,000 Swiss Francs [approximately 275,000 euro/$379,000] to Cookson.
According to the UCI, this is 110,000 Swiss Francs less than was drawn by the previous president Pat McQuaid, meaning that the Irishman had a remuneration package of 450,000 Swiss francs, or approximately 363,000 euro/$500,000 dollars.
McQuaid had refused to disclose his salary to the management committee while he had been in office.
The new salary level will be reviewed annually by the newly-created remuneration committee.
At today’s meeting a full audit of the UCI’s current anti-doping systems and controls was also announced, with the results of this to be used as the basis for establishing a fully independent anti-doping body in 2014. This had been another manifesto commitment made by Cookson, who said that the current structure was too close to the UCI and lead to a lack of credibility and confidence.
The management committee has also agreed what it described as the broad principles under which it will move forward and establish a new Independent Commission to look into claims of past wrongdoing at the UCI plus the extent of the doping problem in the sport.
McQuaid had previously announced an Independent Commission last October but this was ultimately closed down by the UCI in January, leaving a lot of questions unanswered. The UCI stated today that discussions will continue with WADA and other stakeholders in order to draw up the framework of the new Commission.
Several other measures have also been announced. The management committee has pledged to support the new Women’s Cycling Commission, which will be chaired by UCI vice president Tracey Gaudry and which will appoint members and plan out objectives for 2014. More details on this will be released later this week by the UCI.
In addition to that, the UCI has announced that it is to establish an International Development Commission to review the UCI’s work in areas such as Global Cycling Promotion, the company running the Tour of Beijing, plus the World Cycling Centre. Findings and recommendations are due to be presented at the next management committee meeting in January.
The UCI has also stated that Martin Gibbs would take over as UCI Director General, replacing Christophe Hubschmid, who lost the role after Cookson’s election. Gibbs managed Brian Cookson’s presidential campaign and previously worked in the UCI between 2007 and 2009 and then as Policy and Legal Affairs Director for British Cycling,
Cookson described the management committee meeting as an important moment for the UCI. “We put in place a number of measures to restore trust in the UCI and ensure our great sport is able to move forward. I would like to thank my management committee colleagues for the professional and collegiate way they approached today’s meeting and I am encouraged by the strong sense of common purpose,” he stated.
“We have made important decisions on women’s cycling, international development, the establishment of a fully independent anti-doping unit and an independent commission to look into allegations of UCI wrong-doing. We have also started the process of modernising the UCI's constitution.”
Today’s meeting has either got the ball rolling on a number of pre-election promises, such as a new Independent Commission plus a push towards a fully independent anti-doping body, or has ticked boxes on others, such as the publication of Cookson’s salary.
He said that there was a huge amount of work yet to be done in the months ahead and longer term, but described himself as excited by the ‘passion and support’ that his colleagues had shown, in terms of implementing a programme of change.
Cookson defeated McQuaid 24 – 18 at the UCI’s Congress on September 27th.
Last week it emerged that corporate investigators from the Kroll company had seized computers and documents shortly after Cookson’s election. Sources close to the Briton said that McQuaid’s laptop was one of the items taken for analysis, although he has denied this.