Union Cycliste Internationale
 |
|
| Abbreviation | UCI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 14 April 1900 |
| Type | Sports federation |
| Headquarters | Aigle, Switzerland |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
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President
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Brian Cookson |
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Main organ
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Congress |
| Affiliations | International Olympic Committee |
| Website | uci |
The Union Cycliste Internationale (pronounced: [y.njɔ̃ si.klist ɛ̃.tɛʁ.na.sjɔ.nal], English: International Cycling Union), commonly known by the acronym UCI, is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland.
The UCI issues racing licenses to riders and enforces disciplinary rules, such as in matters of doping. The UCI also manages the classification of races and the points ranking system in various cycling disciplines including road and track cycling mountain biking and BMX, for both men and women, amateur and professional. It also oversees the World Championships.
UCI was founded in 1900 in Paris by the national cycling sports organisations of Belgium, the United States, France, Italy, and Switzerland. It replaced the International Cycling Association by setting up in opposition in a row over whether Great Britain should be allowed just one team at world championships or separate teams representing England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Britain found itself outflanked and it was not able to join the UCI – under the conditions the UCI had imposed – until 1903.
There were originally 30 countries affiliated to the union. They did not have equal voting power and some had no vote at all. Votes were distributed by the number of tracks, or velodromes, that each nation claimed. France had 18 votes, the highest number, and Germany and Italy 14 each. Britain had eight, a number the writer Bill Mills said was acquired "by including many rather doubtful grass tracks."
In 1965, under the pressure of the IOC (the Olympics was then an amateur event), the UCI created two subsidiary bodies, the International Amateur Cycling Federation (Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme or FIAC) and the International Professional Cycling Federation (Fédération Internationale de Cyclisme Professionnel or FICP). The UCI assumed a role coordinating both bodies.
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