“Perhaps the UCI should consider a new rule” – Former UCI president suggests banning nation-state names in professional cycling teams

Former UCI president between 2013 and 2017 Brian Cookson believes cycling’s governing body should consider banning professional teams from using the names of nation states in their titles, arguing that the sport must adapt to growing political tensions.

Speaking to road.cc in the wake of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that disrupted the Vuelta a España, forcing to cancel the last stage and neutralize two others, Cookson said the recent protests targeting Israel - Premier Tech underline a vulnerability in road racing.

“This specific situation regarding Israel and Palestine is obviously a huge geopolitical issue, with roots that go back many, many years, that can ultimately only be resolved at the governmental level,” Cookson explained.

“Clearly public feeling around the world is very strong and its growth has outpaced the speed at which the governments of the most influential nations have seen fit to act. Leaving aside the specifics of the conflict, for right or wrong, when this happens, people understandably seek to express their dissatisfaction and disgust in whatever ways they can.”

Because bike races take place on open roads, Cookson warned, they become “one of the easiest targets” for demonstrators. “As many have pointed out, this is not a new phenomenon as such. In fact, demonstrations and disruptions have often targeted bike races over the years,” he said.

“The difference here is perhaps mainly the scale of the disruptions. That and the strength of feeling, the moral outrage of the protesters, and the focus on one particular team’s sponsor, which thereby links inextricably to the whole event and all the other participants.”

Cookson added that the sport cannot resolve such conflicts on its own. “This cannot be resolved until the geopolitical situation is itself resolved. And that cannot happen until the world’s most influential governments use their power and influence to get it resolved.”

Still, he believes cycling must act to protect its events. “What can the world of cycling do to stop, or at least reduce, what could easily become an existential threat to our sport? More barriers, more security, better crowd control - all these things can be addressed and improved, at a cost,” he said, also calling on fans to reflect on roadside behavior.

“As an aside, I’ve long felt that the behaviour of ‘fans’ has got out of hand in some parts of some races in recent years, irrespective of any political demonstrations or other deliberate disruptions. So let’s all take a look in the mirror and have a serious think about what is appropriate behaviour when exercising the privilege of appreciating our sport live at the roadside."

Pointing to other demonstrations, such as the Just Stop Oil protest that blocked the World Championships in Scotland in 2023, Cookson argued that a broader range of issues could lead to similar disruptions.

To reduce the risk, he proposed a controversial step. “Assuming the particular team sponsor concerned does not decide to withdraw, which seems unlikely, my only thought is that perhaps the UCI should consider a new rule,” he said. “A rule that no professional team (outside of world championships or other representative events) may bear the name of a nation state as its principal title.”

Cookson noted that other sports manage to avoid such direct national associations. “For instance, in football the English Premier League certainly has teams that are owned by nation states or their sovereign wealth funds or similar, but they don’t have that nation’s name as their principal name in competition,” he said.

Only two teams would be affected: “There are only two other teams that currently do that (UAE Team Emirates and Bahrain-Victorious), so far as I can see, and clearly they would need to be persuaded that it was in the best interest of the sport for them to adopt a different approach."

“I have no idea whether they would or would not agree to that. That’s currently the only suggestion I would have for a relatively quick, partial, and undoubtedly imperfect, way of moving things forward,” Cookson concluded.