The 192nd Congress of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) was held today in Glasgow, Scotland (Great Britain), on the first day of the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships, which is bringing together 13 UCI World Championships through until 13 August.
The Congress was attended by representatives of a record 151 UCI member National Federations. It is the first time that so many of the UCI’s affiliated members have joined together.
At a ceremony organised as part of the Congress, participants discovered the different UCI World Championships awarded for the period 2024-2030 by the International Federation's Management Committee at its recent meeting. In total, the names of the host cities of 14 UCI World Championships – in a total of eight countries on four continents – were unveiled:
2024 UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships: Bremen (Germany)
2025 and 2026 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships: Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
2025 and 2026 UCI Masters Cyclo-cross World Championships: Varese (Italy)
2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships: Huntsville (United States)
2026 UCI Junior Track World Championships: Heusden-Zolder (Belgium)
2026 and 2027 UCI Masters Mountain Bike World Championships: Nevados de Chillán (Chile)
2028 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships: Cape Town (South Africa)
2028 UCI Gravel World Championships: Alula (Saudi Arabia)
2028 UCI BMX Racing World Championships: Houston (United States)
2028 UCI Road World Championships: Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)
2029 UCI Track World Championships: Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).
A new member joined the UCI at its 2023 Congress, which voted in favour of the affiliation of American Samoa. The UCI now has 203 member National Federations. This number, rarely reached in the world of sports, demonstrates the universality of the cycling movement.
The Congress approved the 2022 UCI 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 2022 amounted to more than 53 million Swiss francs. In line with the financial plan for a non-Olympic year, the annual result shows a loss, which will result in an expected decrease in reserves.
The Congress also approved the UCI's 2024 budget, as well as an updated forecast for 2023. The UCI's projected reserves for the Olympic cycle were also presented to the Congress. They show a still solid financial situation for the end of the cycle, with an expected surplus and, as a result, an increase in the funds available for the development of cycling around the world.
When it comes to judicial bodies, the Congress approved the new composition of the UCI Ethics Commission. It will be composed of the following persons, elected for a four-year term: the President, Mr Marc Cavaliero (SUI/ITA), and four members, Mr Jean-Christophe Breillat (FRA), Ms Vered Deshe (lSR), Mr Richard Leggat (NZL) and Ms Lauren Page (CAN).
Finally, the Congress awarded the UCI Merit, a distinction which rewards people who have made an outstanding contribution to cycling, to the following people:
Sir Chris Hoy (GBR), eleven-time UCI World Champion on the track, six-time Olympic gold medallist in the same discipline, tireless promoter of cycling since his retirement from sport – as an author, lecturer, media personality and recently as popular and charismatic ambassador of the first edition of the UCI Cycling World Championships –, for his exceptional career and his contribution to the development of his sport;
Mr Rocco Cattaneo (SUI), member of the UCI Management Committee and Vice-Chairman of the UCI World Cycling Centre Foundation Board – and former Professional Cycling Council member, European Cycling Union President, Swiss Cycling Management Committee member, professional road cyclist and Organising Committee President of two UCI World Championships –, for his long-standing commitment to the development and promotion of our sport;
Mr Yao Jean-Marie Allah Kouamé (CIV), President of the Fédération Ivoirienne de Cyclisme (Ivoirian Cycling Federation) and Vice-President of the Confédération Africaine de Cyclisme (African Cycling Confederation), for his work to promote the development of cycling and the progression of riders from his country and region, in particular through his decisive involvement in the rebirth of the Tour de Côte d'Ivoire - Tour de la Réconciliation, an event that helps to break down barriers and unite a divided population;
Ms Sonia Gregoria Ramos Acuña (BOL), member of the UCI Management Committee and President of the Bolivian Cycling Federation, a former national-level competitive cyclist before taking on various roles as official and then at the head of cycling bodies in the city and department of Potosí, for her commitment to the development of cycling, and more specifically to the progress of its athletes and the promotion of women's cycling.
A collective UCI Merit was also awarded to Afghan women cyclists who were evacuated from Afghanistan two years ago by the UCI and its partners following the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in order to give them the opportunity to live a better life and continue their sport in safety. The UCI Merit was awarded to them for the lesson in resilience they have taught the entire cycling world through their determination, strength and ability to bounce back from adversity.
After the Congress, UCI President David Lappartient said: “I would like to thank the UCI's member National Federations for their support, which is reflected in their record attendance at this year's Congress on the first day of the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships. Our Congress demonstrated that the international cycling movement is united behind our sport's Agenda 2030, and that cycling is now experiencing unprecedented growth in all areas, from competition to cycling for all, including areas such as integrity and sustainable development. The fact, for example, that the host cities for our flagship annual event, the UCI Road World Championships, are already known until 2028, is proof of the immense popularity and growing social relevance of our sport.”