Katusha wins CAS appeal
Inclusion in ProTour ranks brings new problems for race organizers and UCI
The day after Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez won on the summit of Oman’s Green Mountain, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland has ruled in favour of the Russian team, meaning that the UCI must include the squad as the 19th ProTour team eligible for WorldTour races. The decision creates a few problems for the UCI and race organizers.
Originally, the UCI rejected Katusha’s inclusion in the ProTour because of “ethical reasons:” doping positives, a payoff scandal and the team’s refusal to sign the Movement for Credible Cycling’s charter. Although the CAS upheld the UCI’s decision in January, it has now sided with Katusha in the team’s appeal.
Not only does this create a situation in which the UCI might have to remove one of the original eighteen 2013 ProTour teams to accommodate the Russian squad, but it also might cause the Giro d’Italia organizers to remove a selected wild card team from May’s race to make room for Katusha.
Before the CAS ruling, there was plenty of speculation that Rodriguez, runner up in last season’s Giro and third place finisher in the Vuelta a España, would transfer to a ProTour team in order to contest this year’s Tour de France.
