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Pat McQuaid has long been seen as a shoo-in for president but claimed mismanagement right at the top of the UCI has seen two other candidates throw their hats into the ring.
Dato Seri G. Darshan Singh from Malaysia is the first ever Asian candidate for president of the UCI.
Gregorio Moreno from Spain is representing the ‘Grand Tours’, upset with the UCI over its handling of the ProTour race series.
McQuaid and UCI president Hein Verbruggen are currently embroiled in a messy dispute with the UCI management committee’s only woman member, Sylvia Schenk of Germany.
Schenk claims McQuaid is being paid by the UCI while he’s being groomed to be president when Verbruggen leaves in September to take up a post with the IOC. This would be in breach of the UCI’s constitution. The UCI claims McQuaid has been getting expenses only.
Today’s announcement that Singh is calling on the IOC to oversee the election for UCI president is a further embarrassment for UCI top brass.
I call upon the IOC president to step in to ensure that the elections are conducted democratically," said Singh.
Verbruggen’s July letter to voting delegates and UCI confederation president calling for the election of McQuaid is "biased, unethical, undemocratic and a breach in the conduct of a president," said Singh, a lawyer.
"IOC as a parent body for the world of sports should ensure that the elections of its members of International Sports Federation should be conducted in a democratic manner. I have been in sports for thirty years and I have never seen something like this happening before. The president is always neutral, and does not show his favoritism."
"This lection will no longer be a fair one. The election of the president of UCI can no longer be conducted democratically as long as Mr. McQuaid is still a candidate."
The UCI will elect a new president of 23rd September at the UCI Congress to be held at Hotel Melia Castilla, Madrid, Spain during the World Road Championships.
