Updated at 16.45
UCI WILL SUSPEND their lawsuit against Irish journalist Paul Kimmage, pending the findings of an independent commission, while the 1999-2005 Tour de France races will have no winners attributed to them, it has been announced.
The organisation rubber stamped Tour de France organisers’ wishes not to re-attribute the seven yellow jerseys won by Lance Armstrong, stripped of his titles in the wake of a huge doping scandal.
Meanwhile, Armstrong must pay back all his winnings following the decision to rescind all his results since 1 August, 1998, in the wake of a doping scandal, world cycling chiefs said Friday.
The UCI called on “Armstrong and all other affected riders to return the prize money they had received”.
It is estimated that Armstrong earned prize money of 2.95 million euros for his Tour de France victories.
A statement from the organisation added:
“The UCI Management Committee acknowledged that a cloud of suspicion would remain hanging over this dark period – but while this might appear harsh for those who rode clean, they would understand there was little honour to be gained in reallocating places.“Second, while the Management Committee expressed confidence that enormous strides had been made in the fight against doping since 2005, in order to ensure that UCI and cycling could move forward with the confidence of all parties, the governing body also decided to establish a fully independent external Commission to look into the various allegations made about UCI relating to the Armstrong affair.
“The Committee agreed that part of the independent Commission’s remit would be to find ways to ensure that persons caught for doping were no longer able to take part in the sport, including as part of an entourage.”
It was further explained that the Management Committee will announce which independent sports body will nominate the members of the Commission on the week of 5 November.
The members of the commission will be announced “as soon as possible,” while the report’s findings are set to be published by 1 June 2013.
UCI President Pat McQuaid added:
“As I said on Monday, UCI is determined to turn around this painful episode in the history of our sport. We will take whatever actions are deemed necessary by the independent Commission and we will put cycling back on track.
“Today, cycling is a completely different sport from what it was in the period 1998-2005. Riders are now subject to the most innovative and effective anti-doping procedures and regulations in sport. Nevertheless, we have listened to the world’s reaction to the Lance Armstrong affair and have taken these additional decisive steps in response to the grave concerns raised.”
Additional reporting: AFP
