Press release - The UCI President elected as member of IOC

12.02.2010

The President of the International Cycling Union Pat McQuaid was elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee in Vancouver today.

The nomination of Mr McQuaid, sixty years old, was decided at the 122nd Session of the IOC, organised alongside the XXI Winter Olympic Games.

The outstanding election of Mr McQuaid, a former professional cyclist who was appointed UCI President in 2005 and re-elected for a second term in 2009, is an extremely important sign of recognition for the sport of cycling as a whole.

After the departure of the former UCI President Hein Verbruggen, member of the IOC from 1996 to 2008, and currently an honorary member of the institution, cycling will again be represented within the principal world sporting movement by the President of the International Federation. This continuation will allow our sport, one of the founders of the modern Olympic Games, to continue to dedicate itself to serving the Olympic ideals in the best possible way.

Immediately after his election, the President McQuaid - who is also Vice President of ASOIF and a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Foundation Board – wished to thank the members of the IOC for their confidence: “In choosing me to be part of the most important sporting assembly in the world, the members of the IOC have acknowledged the value of cycling’s commitment to the Olympic movement. With four disciplines on the Olympic programme, our sport certainly features among those that contribute the most to the success of this sporting event, and we are proud of the role that road and track on the one hand, and mountain bike and BMX on the other, play in the balance between tradition and modernity which characterises the Olympic Games.�

“I am very happy to have Pat McQuaid on board the IOC�, said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “As a former cyclist Pat knows the sport inside out and has done a tremendous job since his election at the head of the UCI. He has been instrumental in strengthening the reputation of his Federation and rejuvenating the cycling programme at the Olympic Games. He brings a great expertise and we look forward to working with him in the future�, Rogge added.

In this positive context, the large family of world cycling expresses its sincere gratitude to the UCI President Pat McQuaid for his activity serving sport and wishes him all the best in his new role as an IOC member.

UCI Press Service

Photo : J. Rogge and Pat McQuaid - © IOC/Richard Juilliart

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