Pat McQuaid faces struggle to retain UCI presidency

The battle for the presidency of the UCI continued to heat up with the news that Igor Makarov, the billionaire Russian businessman and UCI management committee member, has written to president Pat McQuaid threatening to take legal action.

Makarov, who is backing McQuaid's rival Brian Cookson for the September 27th election, sent the letter to McQuaid and UCI general director Christophe Hubschmid. It was subsequently obtained by the Daily Telegraph.

He was reacting to Monday’s announcement that the Malaysian federation will aim to have article 51 amended at the UCI congress in September. As the wording stands, “the candidates for the presidency shall be nominated by the federation of the candidate”. Most take this to mean the home federation of the candidate.

The Malaysian federation wants to get the motion passed by the required two- thirds majority and retroactively make it possible for any two federations to propose candidates.

McQuaid sought a nomination from Cycling Ireland and when that was rejected by the club delegates, he sought the backing of Swiss Cycling. It is the federation of the country he has lived in for nearly a decade.

However that is now subject to a legal case taken by three Swiss Cycling members and financially supported by McQuaid critic Jaimie Fuller of the Skins company.

McQuaid claimed this week that he received the backing of the Moroccan and Thai federations prior to the June 29th closing date. It was the first time this was mentioned by him. Some feel that relying on their backing rather than the Irish or Swiss nomination violates the spirit of article 51. He denies this.

Makarov clearly feels that things are not being done above board.

“I take the opportunity of this letter to inform you that should this unlawful process be maintained, I already intend to challenge . . . any decision taken by the UCI Congress in this respect and any other infringements to the UCI constitution,” he wrote in his letter.

“I am astonished that the management committee members . . . have not been informed nor consulted regarding such modification of the electoral process.”

The election is set for September 27th in Florence, Italy.