Swiss Cycling withdraws McQuaid nomination
Swiss Cycling today withdrew their nomination of Pat McQuaid as presidential candidate in the upcoming elections in the International Cycling Union (UCI) leading to the dismissal of a legal action from members of the federation to overturn the nomination.
In May, the Swiss federation stated that it would back McQuaid, but the nomination fell into uncertainty as it was suggested that several of the Swiss board members had voted against this support.
In June, legal action was launched over the nomination by three Swiss Cycling members and the chairman of the sportswear company Skins, Jamie Fuller.
The legal action was supposed to be resolved at a hearing on 22 August, but has now been cancelled, says a press release issued today on the Swiss federation’s website along with the information that they are withdrawing their nomination of McQuaid.
Pat McQuaid who is looking to continue at this seat for a third term has been through a somewhat turbulent nomination process. In April he saw his national federation, the Irish Cycling federation withdraw their initial nomination and since then he has joined - and is backed as president by - both the Thai and the Moroccan cycling federations.
These memberships do not secure McQuaid’s rights to a presidential nomination, however. According to current UCI statutes candidates can only be backed by their national federation. This condition could change due to a newly proposed amendment allowing candidates to be backed by any two federations.
If accepted at the congress taking place in Florence, Italy on 27 September, the new rule will be backdated, allowing McQuaid to run for UCI president.
SOURCE: