Today's election of the new UCI President ended with a pleasing result for 62-year-old Brit Brian Cookson. After a short-term rule change, the incumbent President Pat McQuaid finally ran against the previously compliant British. Cookson received 24 votes from the 42 voting UCI delegates. 18 votes went to McQuaid.
After his long tenure as President of the British Cycling Union, Cookson now has to resign his post, but wants to build on his successful work - which includes the rise of British cycling to the top of the world - and reform the existing structures of the UCI. Especially in anti-doping management, Cookson would like to break new ground and make great progress. The aim is to set up an independent body.
The Federation of German Cyclists was also pleased with the change. "We hope that he will implement his announced program, that he will solve the doping problem with independent authorities - as the BDR has been doing since 2011 - that he will strengthen cycling in its diversity worldwide and that he will not continue to commercialize it at the expense of the national federations operates. I look forward to working with Brian Cookson”, says Rudolph Scharping, President of the BDR.
