The 193rd Congress of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) was held yesterday in Zurich, Switzerland, during the UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships (21-29 September), which for the first time bring together able-bodied and disabled athletes for the UCI's flagship annual event. The Congress united representatives from 119 UCI member National Federations from all five continents. At a ceremony organised as part of the Congress, participants were able to discover the different UCI World Championships awarded for the period 2025-2030 by the International Federation's Management Committee at its recent meeting. In total, the names of the host cities of 16 UCI World Championships - in a total of 10 countries on four continents - have been revealed:
2025 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships: Sakarya (Turkey)
2026 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships: Apeldoorn (Netherlands)
2026 UCI Snow Bike World Championships: Châtel – Haute-Savoie (France)
2026 and 2027 UCI Masters Track World Championships: London (Great Britain)
2028 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships: Sunshine Coast - Queensland (Australia)
2028 UCI Junior Track World Championships: Asuncion (Paraguay)
2028 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships: Hoogerheide (Netherlands)
2028 and 2029 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships: Jakarta (Indonesia)
2029 UCI BMX Racing World Championships: Heusden-Zolder (Belgium)
2029 UCI Road World Championships: Denmark (city/region to be confirmed)
2029 UCI Gravel World Championships: Villars-sur-Ollon (Switzerland)
2030 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships: Namur (Belgium)
2030 UCI Track World Championships: Brisbane (Australia)
2030 UCI Road World Championships: Brussels (Belgium).
Two new members joined the UCI at its 2024 Congress, which voted in favour of the affiliation of the National Federations of Nauru and Palau. The UCI now has 205 member National Federations. This number, rarely reached in the world of sport, demonstrates the universality of the cycling movement.
The Congress approved the UCI's 2023 Annual Report, which includes the consolidated financial statements of the UCI and the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC), the International Federation's training and education centre. The reserves of the two entities at the end of 2023 amounted to more than CHF 50 million. In line with the financial plan for a non-Olympic year, the annual result shows a loss, which will result in an expected reduction in reserves.
The Congress also approved the UCI's 2025 budget, as well as an updated forecast for 2024. The result of the 2021-2024 Olympic cycle and the projected reserves at the end of 2025 were also presented to the Congress. With a surplus expected for the current cycle and an excellent level of reserves, the UCI will enter the 2025-2028 Olympic cycle in a very solid financial position, enabling it to plan its activities for the development of cycling around the world with confidence.
Finally, the Congress awarded the UCI Merit, a distinction which rewards personalities who have made an outstanding commitment to cycling, to the following people:
Mr Thierry Maréchal (BEL), President of the UCI Mountain Bike Commission and former national-level rider, for his enthusiastic commitment to the discipline since the late 1980s, as founder of the Ardennes Mountain Bike club, then President of the Belgian National Federation for mountain bike, President of the Fédération Cycliste Wallonie Bruxelles, a key driver behind the very popular UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round in Houffalize, and UCI Technical Delegate and Commissaire.
Ms Anne Gripper (AUS), member of the UCI Management Committee and President of the UCI Integrity Commission, for her central contribution to integrity in cycling, notably as Director of the former Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation. In this role, she was involved in initiatives such as the creation of the Athlete Biological Passport and different anti-doping educational modules. Anne Gripper is also Non-Executive Director of AusCycling and a member of the Executive Board of the Oceania Cycling Confederation.
Mr Jorge Mauricio Vargas (COL), who is President of the Colombian Cycling Federation and of the Road Commission of the Pan-American Cycling Confederation (COPACI). A tireless promoter of our sport for almost 45 years, he is one of the architects behind the success of Colombian cycling thanks to his various roles within his National Federation since the mid-1980s and as Director of numerous national and international competitions in his country.
Mr Osama Ahmed Abdullah Al Shafar (UAE), Vice-President of the UCI, President of the Asian Cycling Confederation, former President of the United Arab Emirates Cycling Federation and former member of the Dubai Sports Council, for his contribution to the arrival and development of professional cycling in his country, in particular with the launch of the Dubai Tour, now the UAE Tour. He also played a decisive role in the evacuation of Afghan cyclists from their country in 2021 after the Taliban came to power, and their transit through the United Arab Emirates on their way to Europe.
Romuald Hazoumè (BEN), for his commitment to our sport over more than 35 years, first as a club founder and leader, then within the Cycling Federation of Benin, of which he is now President. In this role, he has helped to advance cycling in his country by supporting Benin's cyclists through a wide range of initiatives, including the distribution of equipment, training and talent identification. He is also in charge of the Tour du Bénin, a race that has joined the UCI International Calendar under his leadership.
At the end of the Congress, UCI President David Lappartient said: “I am pleased that we have been able to announce the allocation of 16 editions of our UCI World Championships in different disciplines over the next six years. This long-term visibility for our programme of UCI World Championships is further proof of the popularity of our sport.
“Even with the many reasons we have for being pleased about cycling's favourable situation, our satisfaction is nevertheless tarnished by the sad loss yesterday of Muriel Furrer. The UCI reiterates its sincere condolences to the family of the young Swiss rider, to her loved ones and to her National Federation, Swiss Cycling.”