Cookson seeks to rebuild trust in UCI, takes pay cut

Brian Cookson’s first meeting in charge of the UCI has outlined the new president’s goals for the term ahead, with one pre-election pledge – to take a pay cut of around £76,000 – already achieved.

Cookson’s salary will be around £235,500 per year, a significant chunk less than prior president Pat Mcquaid’s pay packet. McQuaid previously refused to share information on his salary. Cookson’s wage will be reviewed annually by a newly created Remuneration Committee.

The new president emphasised the need to rebuild faith in the UCI, telling the press: "Today’s Management Committee meeting was an important moment for the UCI as we put in place a number of measures to restore trust in the UCI and ensure our great sport is able to move forward. I would like to thank my Management Committee colleagues for the professional and collegiate way they approached today’s meeting and I am encouraged by the strong sense of common purpose.

“We have made important decisions on women’s cycling, international development, the establishment of a fully independent anti-doping unit and an independent commission to look into allegations of UCI wrong-doing. We have also started the process of modernising the UCI’s constitution.

An in depth audit of the UCI’s prior anti-doping programme, including suggestions by USADA that Lance Armstrong was assisted in covering his substance abuse, are to be looked at. It has been reported that private investgators immediately secured computer records after the election result, which will now be analysed by the independent commission, as well as the World Anti Doping Agency.

Measures agreed at today’s UCI Management Committee include:

· A full audit of the systems and controls currently employed by the UCI’s anti-doping operations to ensure that they are working efficiently. The audit will also be used as a basis to create a clear roadmap for setting up an independent UCI anti-doping operation in 2014.

· The broad principles under which it intends to move forward with the implementation of an Independent Commission which will look into allegations of past wrongdoing at the UCI and the extent and roots of doping in cycling. The objectives of the Independent Commission are in line with the manifesto of Brian Cookson, to re-establish trust in the UCI and restore confidence in the sport of cycling. UCI will continue its discussions with WADA and other stakeholders to finalise the Independent Commission’s framework.

· The establishment of an International Development Commission to review the wide-ranging work of the UCI in this field including the role of Global Cycling Promotion and the World Cycling Centre. The Commission will report its initial findings and recommendations to the next UCI Management Committee in January 2014.

· Supporting the new Women’s Cycling Commission, chaired by UCI Vice President Tracey Gaudry, in its work to appoint members and establish objectives including 2014 recommendations by the end of 2013 on delivering a step change in women’s cycling. Further details on this will be available on the UCI website this week.

Cookson concluded: "There is a huge amount of work to do in the coming months and beyond, but I am excited by the passion and support my colleagues have shown for implementing a real programme of change for the good of cycling.”

Martin Gibbs has joined the UCI as Chief of Staff having managed President Cookson’s election campaign. He replaces outgoing Christophe Hubschmid. Gibbs worked previously for British Cycling where he was Policy and Legal Affairs Director, responsible for all British Cycling’s corporate legal work, government relations and communications.

Martin worked at the UCI between 2007 and 2009 and before that had a career in public company corporate finance in the City of London. He qualified as a commercial lawyer and has a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.