McQuaid Claims Candidacy for UCI Presidency Meets Election Rules

August 20, 2013

International Cycling Union (UCI) President Pat McQuaid has confirmed to the governing body that his candidacy is in line with their election rules, buy leaving him free to stand against Brian Cookson.

McQuaid used international legal firm Baker & McKenzie to confirm to the UCI that his nominations from Thailand and Morocco were valid.

At the UCI headquarters, McQuaid said: “The nominations are valid. They came in before the closing date (of June 29).”

Cookson’s lawyers had previously questioned whether his candidacy had met the UCI’s election quota, in what is becoming a tit-for-tat presidential campaign.

The two have argued throughout the election process, with McQuaid previously calling Cookson’s manifesto as ‘half-baked’ and Cookson calling McQuaid a bully.

Cookson, who is the President of British Cycling, was also concerned that UCI staff may have breached protocol by helping Malaysian officials to draft a rule change which allowed two member countries to propose a candidate and then apply the change to the current election.

McQuaid has now said: “It clears the UCI completely from any wrongdoing and it clears the UCI administration of any wrongdoing or any favoritism or … acting improperly in any way.”

McQuaid is looking for a third term but has faced serious calls to step-down in the wake of the Lance Armstrong doping debacle that has plagued the sport.

Cookson is McQuaid’s sole competitor and the Brit wants to restore people’s faith in the sport.