Former UCI president believes "heads have to roll" following British Cycling scandal

Brian Cookson, former president of the UCI and British Cycling, has called on British Cycling's chairman Frank Slevin to resign, stating the governing body is run by people without a sports background.

British Cycling isn't having a smooth year. Following the controversial decisions they made, they faced backlash after backlash, and the most recent agreement with Shell oil and gas giant has been heavily criticized by the general public and Greenpeace.

There have also been controversial decisions such as denying transgender riders access to the competition and suggesting cyclists not ride their bikes on the day of the Queen's funeral. CEO Brian Facer's resignation is a result of these decisions. He recently left his position after a mutual agreement with board members.

In spite of this, Cookson believes that the matter doesn't end with the resignation of the CEO. “I do think that it seems inexplicable to me that the chairman and the board were unaware of the implications of the things that have happened and that have been so controversial. I think that some heads have to roll,” Cookson told Cyclingweekly.

He proposes changing the structure completely, starting with the resignation of the chairman. “The chair needs to take some responsibility for this. I have no confidence in him to continue, I think he should go. Now we have a structure imposed on us by UK Sport, and the reality is we have a chairman who has effectively come from outside the sport, presumably appointed for his business expertise. The problem as I see it is that we’re governed by people who don’t really have a background in that sport, pastime, activity and I don’t know what they’re motivated by,” said Cookson.

He concluded with, “Nobody has got a wonderful magic wand to wave. Although what we’ve got to get back is our organisation, British Cycling needs to be run by people who have a passion for cycling in all its wonderful forms.”