Leading European media launch ‘credible cycling’ manifesto

Five European newspapers have launched a manifesto calling for credible cycling and reforms, and an independent investigation by WADA into the UCI and its handling of the Armstrong collapse. The five newspapers –The Times, L’Équipe, Le Soir, La Gazetta dello Sport and Het Niewsblad – have jointly issued a manifesto aiming at repairing professional cycling’s governing structures and restoring its reputation.

The manifesto comes as a reaction to the recent revelations about the systematic doping going on in the sport for years.

“These continuing revelations demonstrate to us that we can clearly no longer have confidence in the leadership or the effectiveness of the UCI or in the behaviors of team managers, many of whom are implicated in cheating, now and in the recent past,” the manifesto reads.

The manifesto asks for reforms on different areas: It calls for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to initiate an independent investigation into “the role of the UCI in the Armstrong affair” and for tougher penalties on wrong-doers. The manifesto furthermore calls for a reform of the leading races and the governance structures including more transparency. The manifesto asks for “The publication by the UCI of an annual report clarifying, in a transparent manner, all its activities and progress achieved each season.”

The five newspapers urge fast action and that the manifesto’s recommendations are in place by the start of the 2013 season. At UCI’s Management Committee meeting held last Friday the UCI decided to “establish a fully independent external Commission to look into the various allegations made about UCI relating to the Armstrong affair,” the UCI press release says. The UCI also decided to suspend their legal action against journalist Paul Kimmage while the investigations are going on.

Read the ‘Manifesto for credible cycling’ here (subscription)

Read the UCI Press Release here