Excited to be at the UEC Road European Championships today, where @MerlierTim secured victory in a fantastic sprint to become the new European Champion. Congratulations to all the riders and to @UEC_Cycling for organising another outstanding event!
UCI President David Lappartient is aiming high with his ambitions behind the scenes of the sports world and it has now been confirmed that he is applying to presidency of the International Olympic Comittee - which organizes the Olympic Games. Additionally, it is possible that the Olympics and Tour de France collide in 2028 which will require adjustment.
it has been confirmed by Wielerflits that Lappartient is one of the (until now) seven candidates for the presidency of the IOC. The decisisons will be taken in March 2025 in Greece - the year where coincidentally, his term as UCI president ends. Obviously, it cannot be confirmed if he will indeed become the president of one of the world's biggest sports organizations.
However not all is bright news for Lappartient, who - if he is in charge - will be forced to make a decision with the Tour de France's positioning in the calendar. The 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles will take place from the 14th to the 30th of July and directly collides with the Tour's traditional calendar. Furthermore, in the far west of the United States the time zone differences are even bigger.
Likely, the Tour will be forced to be moved in order for the world's best riders not to have to make a choice. The Olympics are widely regarded as the most important sporting events in the world and so a date change is virtually impossible. This would also force massive calendar changes for other events - big or small - throughout the summer.
“What dates will the Tour have in 2028? It is not up to us to decide. It is the UCI that decides these things," Lappartient said. "We will see. Whether the Tour will be before or after the Games I really have no idea”.
Excited to be at the UEC Road European Championships today, where @MerlierTim secured victory in a fantastic sprint to become the new European Champion. Congratulations to all the riders and to @UEC_Cycling for organising another outstanding event!