(ATR) In letters sent by five cycling federations, sitting International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid was asked to agree to an arbitration hearing that could affect his candidacy.
It's the latest development in a presidential race that has provoked reactions, according to the letters, ranging "from amusement to outrage, from bewilderment to astonishment."
The federations from the United States, Russia, Finland, Algeria, and Canada each made the same request of McQuaid: appear before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to clarify Article 51.1 in the UCI Constitution.
"There's so much confusion and concern over recent ad hoc interpretations of the constitution," Steve Johnson, president of USA Cycling, told Around the Rings. "From my perspective, this is about resolving concerns and getting answers before the election."
According to copies of the federations’ letters, "Article 51.1 requires that any Presidential candidate be supported by a nomination from ‘the federation of the candidate.’"
The letters, addressed to McQuaid and UCI director general Christophe Hubschmid, point out that this has been taken by some to mean a candidate can be nominated by any federation of which he is a member, "regardless of the length of the candidate’s membership, his participation in the affairs of the federation, or his residence in the country in which the federation operates."
Others believe that the line "unambiguously allows a nomination from only one federation, the federation, of the candidate."
The goal of a hearing, the letters say, would be to "forego the spectre of any post-election litigation over Article 51.1 for the certainty of a pre-election, binding decision" by CAS.
"The last thing we want," said Johnson, "is to go into an election with a cloud over the process and a chance for someone to challenge it later."
Article 51.1 has often been cited in a campaign, rife with what Johnson called "shenanigans," that has seen McQuaid struggle to remain in the race after losing nominations from both of his home federations, Ireland and Switzerland.
McQuaid has contended that he should be eligible to run based on his endorsements from the Thai and Moroccan federations, though neither can be considered his home.
Brian Cookson, the head of British Cycling and only other candidate for UCI president, welcomed the motion.
"I can totally understand the desire by a number of national federations to seek clarity on the UCI constitution in relation to the nominating procedure and how this applies to the current presidential election," Cookson said to The Guardian.
"Given the nature of the controversy, it does make sense to have this matter adjudicated by CAS so that we can have a sound and fair election that is also genuinely robust."
If McQuaid is deemed eligible, the election will take place on September 27 in Florence, Italy.
Reported byNick Devlin
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