A new line was added on Wednesday, May 3, to the list of international federations that have decided to follow the recommendation of the IOC Executive Board to reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes. The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced in a statement that its management committee, meeting since the beginning of the week in Cagliari (Italy), had decided in favor of their return to the international scene. The riders from both countries will be allowed to take part in competitions on the UCI calendar in all disciplines, starting June 1. This means they will be able to compete in the world championships in Glasgow, scheduled for August 3-13, the first ever to include all cycling disciplines. In accordance with the IOC’s recommendation, the UCI specifies that Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete as individuals, “under strict conditions“. They will only be allowed to start races if they have “no involvement or association with the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus, their national federation or their National Olympic Committee,” said the body chaired by Frenchman David Lappartient. Russian and Belarusian teams remain suspended, events in Russia are prohibited, as are bids for UCI events by either country. The UCI Management Committee decided to renew its support for Ukraine, particularly financially, by granting the cycling federation a new subsidy of 100,000 Swiss francs, including 20,000 Swiss francs from the European Cycling Union (UEC).
