The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has just launched a new campaign to promote cycling integrity and prevent abusive behaviour in sport. This campaign denounces all types of abuse, whether physical, psychological or sexual, and emphasizes that such conditions have no place in cycling. The campaign is part of the UCI’s Cycling Integrity programme, which also supports education and training initiatives on cycling safety and fairness.
The launch of this campaign is a direct response to experiences of abuse in the sport, such as the racist abuse Kévin Reza suffered from Gianni Moscon in 2017, and the sexual harassment from Marc Bracke, a former women’s team director, in 2021. The UCI looks to create a safe environment for cycling, at all levels, for fans, athletes, coaches, and all other stakeholders.
In a statement, UCI President David Lappartient pointed out that “integrity is a fundamental value of sport, and cycling is a fantastic sport, which also has the power to inspire hundreds of millions of people around the world to adopt cycling as a healthy leisure activity and sustainable means of transport. Cycling upholds strong values such as hard work, perseverance and solidarity, but it is also open to abuse. Such abuse has no place in our sport, and the UCI does not tolerate it.”
To further support this goal, UCI Director General Amina Lanaya has reiterated that the organisation will continue to develop its Cycling Integrity program to ensure that cycling plays its full and positive role in society.
The organisation with the primary mission of promoting cycling worldwide, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), works in partnership with national federations, events organisers and teams to create a framework within which the cycling sport can develop and become even more popular. The UCI is constantly promoting cycling, writing and enforcing the rules of fair play, hosting international events, and making sure that cycling safety measures are met. The encouraging and supporting of athletes also remain some of its core tenets.
Gianni Moscon, the cyclist who racially abused Kévin Reza at the Tour of Romandie in 2017, was given a ban of six weeks and attended a diversity training course organized by his team at the time. However, Kévin Reza felt that “nothing has changed in cycling’s response to racism” nearly four years later.
A year later, former women’s team director Marc Bracke was found guilty of sexual harassment during his tenure at the UCI Women’s Continental squad, Doltcini-Van Eyck-Proximus. Following the investigation, the UCI’s Disciplinary Commission declared that the Bracke will be banned from the sport for three years.
The UCI pays close attention to all its stakeholders to ensure that its Cycling Integrity program is carried out. With this campaign, it hopes to help victims express their concerns and receive the necessary channels and support, while encouraging all individuals to join the UCI in its effort to create a safer environment in cycling.