June 14, 2013 – The UCI Management Committee announced that the 2016 UCI BMX World Championships will be held in Medellin, Columbia, and that Cairns, Australia, will host the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships.
Meeting in Bergen, Norway, the Management Committee meetings were held alongside meetings of the Professional Cycling Council (PCC).
UCI President Pat McQuaid said: “We’re delighted that Medellin, the ‘City of the Eternal Spring’ in the Andes Mountains, will be our host city in 2016 for the UCI BMX World Championships. The event will take place on a brand new track built in the city’s existing cycling complex.
McQuaid continued: “In 2017, the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships will be held on the iconic Smithfield course in Cairns. We’re certain that the thousands of professional athletes, coming from all around the globe, will relish competing in this beautiful tropical location.”
During the meeting, the Management Committee discussed the UCI Stakeholder Consultation ‘A Bright Future for Cycling’ at length, as well as the resulting recommendations put forward by the Deloitte report.
The Management Committee accepted in principle the 11 ‘crucial’ and ‘high-priority’ recommendations in the report– and agreed to establish an action plan based on these recommendations.
In particular, the Committee decided to continue with the establishment of an independent auditor group to look into the Armstrong era and agreed that the UCI should continue to move forward with its discussions with WADA in this regard.
Commenting on the decision, Pat McQuaid said: “I am extremely happy that the Management Committee has accepted in principle the 11 recommendations. The UCI is committed to listening to its stakeholders – the people we serve – and responding to what they tell us.
“As I said when the report was first published, a number of the recommendations are already underway. In addition to the discussions with WADA around holding an independent audit, we are also in the process of developing a long-term strategic plan for cycling.”
The six ‘crucial’ recommendations coming out of the consultation are:
- Restore the credibility of cycling and the public perception of the sport
- Decide whether to hold an independent inquiry into the Armstrong affair and whether to offer riders an ‘amnesty’ or reduced sanctions for coming forward to that enquiry
- Develop a long-term strategic plan for cycling
- Further strengthen the anti-doping culture that exists in the UCI
- Improve the UCI’s relationship with WADA
- Restructure the pro-cycling calendar
The five additional ‘high-priority’ recommendations are:
- Increase the independence of the CADF
- Appoint an independent anti-doping body to sanction professional riders caught doping
- Review the existing points system for pro-teams
- Develop women’s cycling
- Improve communication with professional road riders
At the Professional Cycling Council meeting earlier in the day, and yesterday, major reforms to professional cycling were an area of focus and the ensuing proposals will be further discussed at the UCI Management Committee meeting tomorrow.