Team claims UCI management committee supports demand for licence

As the wait continues for publication of the UCI Licence Commission’s reason for turning down Katusha’s application for ProTeam registration, the Russian team has declared that it has initiated proceedings over the matter.



“Russian team Katusha has filed a lawsuit to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (CAS) aiming to dispute the decision of the UCI License Commission, who rejected the 2013 World Tour license request of Katusha Team on December, 10, 2012,” it said today.



“Applying to the CAS became a direct consequence of the policy of isolation, pursued by the UCI License Commission, and was made in strict accordance with all law regulations.”



Ranked in the top fifteen teams by the UCI in October but needing to satisfy the Licence Commission’s ethical, administrative and financial requirements too, the team fell down in one of those areas. It has been waiting since Monday to find out what the issue is and, claiming the support of almost five million people, railed against that delay this week.



“The total silence from UCI and absence of reasons for Team Katusha’s 2013 professional license refusal completely undermines the image of the UCI, the organization,” it said, “whose activity is supposed to be aimed at the development and promotion of cycling in the world…an important part of which is the Russian professional cycling team Katusha.”



It also said that it was ready to take legal action over the issue, something the CAS complaint has now initiated.



Claims of UCI management committee backing:



Surprisingly, given what might be expected to be UCI neutrality over its own Licence Commission, a communication from the team yesterday claimed that it had the support of the UCI management committee members.



It said that Russian Cycling Federation president Igor Makarov, who is himself a UCI management committee member, had communicated with the others on the committee about ‘the inexplicable decision and unwillingness of the UCI License Commission to communicate the true reasons about Katusha Team license.’



It added that Makarov had called on the committee to act and that most of those members had expressed ‘extreme concern’ about the situation.



In fact, while it might be expected that the committee would wait until the Licence Commission decision is explained, Katusha claims that said committee members have told the Russian that they want the team to be part of the WorldTour.



“In their responses to Mr. Makarov’s query, UCI Management Committee members called on the responsible persons for the fastest resolution of the situation and to accept only the right decision: returning the World Tour license to Katusha Team,” it said.



VeloNation has sought confirmation of this from the UCI’s spokesman but there is no response as yet.