The UCI is siding with the IOC in the debate on the possible return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions. It is one of the first international federations of an Olympic sport to clearly state its position. The cycling body explained that it had discussed the issue at its last Management Committee meeting on 2 and 3 February in Hoogerheide (Netherlands), on the sidelines of the cyclo-cross World Championships. At the end of the discussions, a resolution was unanimously adopted in relation to the position of the Olympic movement on the sanctions taken against Russia and Belarus. In detail, the UCI “reiterates its condemnation of the aggression of Ukraine by the Russian government.” No surprise there. Above all, it supports the resolution of the 11th Olympic Summit and the IOC Executive Board on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials “which should only depend on their sporting merit and their respect for sporting rules, which opens the way for their participation, under strict conditions, in international events.” In short, the UCI is in favour of the return of athletes from both countries to competition, but under the guise of neutrality and on condition that they have “fully respected the Olympic Charter“, i.e. have not gone against the IOC’s mission of peace and comply with the World Anti-Doping Code.
