21/10/2023

UCI tries to stop Uzbekistan's Tashkent City team from participating in the Women's WorldTour after nationals scandal

As reported by El Sterrato, the UCI is trying to leave the Tashkent City Women team uninvited to the 2024 Women's WorldTour. Below we explain the grotesque situation generated by the Uzbek team.

On October 19, the UCI made official the list of the 16 teams that submitted the documentation to register for next season's Women's WorldTour. These teams are: AG Insurance Soudal Quick Step, Canyon Sram Racing, Ceratizit WNT, FDJ Suez, Fenix Deceuninck, Human Powered Health, Lidl Trek, Team Jayco Alula, Movistar Team, Roland (formerly Israel Premier Tech Roland), Team SDM Firmenich, Blanco Pro Cycling Women team (the owner of the current Jumbo Visma Women), Team SD Worx, UAE Team ADQ, Uno-X Mobility and Laboral Kutxa.

51 men's and women's teams submit documentation to the UCI to be able to race in 2024

Laboral Kutxa, which did not obtain the place on the road, could access it if the documentation of other teams does not meet the established requirements.

What has caught the eye, however, is the revelation that the UCI is taking a hard look at the calendar for the 2023 season. In an unprecedented twist, the UCI has decided that only the 2023 ranking will be taken into account when awarding invitations to the 2024 Women's WorldTour races. The first invitation has been awarded to Team Cofidis, which has had an exceptional year.

Team SD Worx runaway winners of women's UCI world rankings

The second and final invitation is in question and this is where the controversy with Tashkent City Women arises. The Uzbek team has been criticized for alleged irregularities. A precedent has been highlighted in which the results of their May National Championships were annulled when it was discovered that they had not been held and that the results were fabricated. On that occasion, the UCI issued no sanction and seemed to overlook the situation. However, it is now getting serious about reviewing its participation in the Women's WorldTour 2024.

As part of this revision, the UCI has removed several category 1.2 races from the calendar with the aim of reducing the score required for Tashkent City Women to lose its invitation to the Tour de France, La Vuelta Femenina, El Giro Donne, Paris-Roubaix and other WorldTour events. In addition, Uzbekistan is required to have at least two women competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.