UCI denies bias towards Asian cycling teams

KUALA LUMPUR: The International Cycling Union (UCI) has denied claims of unfair and biased treatment towards Asian cycling teams on doping issues, said acting president of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC), Datuk Abu Samah Abdul Wahab.

He said he was told about it by International Cycling Union (UCI) president Brian Cookson after the 2015 ACC Congress meeting in Korat, Thailand, last Monday.

“This allegation arose following a claim by a representative from Kazakhstan saying UCI was biased towards The Kazakhstan Cycling Federation (KCF) and Astana Pro Tour Team.

“At an Executive Management Meeting, a member of the Executive Management Committee, Allen Chaizhunussov from Kazakhstan, had requested ACC to come forward and ‘come clean’ on doping issues involving Astana Pro Tour Team,” he said in a statement, here, yesterday.

Chaizhunussov claimed that UCI was not fair to KCF and Pro Team Astana Tour Team and therefore wanted ACC to protect KCF as the supreme governing body of the spot in Asia, Abu Samah said.

Abu Samah, who is also Malaysian National Cycling Federation president, said Cookson also gave him a thorough explanation on procedures performed on KCF and the Astana Pro Tour team.

“Cookson explained that the question of UCI bu l lying Asian cycl ing teams d id not ar ise, including KCF or the Astana Pro Team, and that in fact, UCI always cooperates with all parties around the world to f ight against doping,” he said.

Abu Samah said Cookson was ready at any g iven time to personally give a detailed explanation to KCF and the Astana Pro Team.

He is currently the ACC Acting president because its president He Wook Cho from South Korea is unwell.