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Brian Cookson introduces Cycling Independent Reform Commission

January 8, 2014
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The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced the three people who will lead the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) and investigate the history of doping in the sport.

Dick Marty will lead the CIRC team. He is a high-profile Swiss politician and former state prosecutor, in which post he was specially noted for his energetic activities fighting organized crime and drug abuse. For more than a decade, he has been a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In the course of this work, he has conducted various inquiries that have earned him international recognition.

The team also includes Ulrich Haas, from Germany. He is a specialist in anti-doping rules and procedures. He is professor of civil procedure and civil law at the University of Zurich and a highly respected arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Australian Peter Nicholson is a former military officer and specializes in criminal investigations in both national and international jurisdictions. He has worked for various governments and the United Nations where he led several war crimes investigations.

UCI president Brian Cookson made the announcement on Wednesday and stated, “This commission will investigate the problems cycling has faced in recent years, especially the allegations that the UCI has been involved in wrongdoing in the past – allegations which have done so much to hurt the credibility of the UCI and our sport.

“Their work will also be focused on understanding what went so wrong in our sport and they will make recommendations for change so that as far as possible those mistakes are not repeated.”

The UCI will fund the CIRC’s one-year investigation, however, Cookson noted that it will operate completely independently of the sport’s governing body. “We have agreed on a budget for the commission, which the UCI will cover in full, and we have also expressed our wish that its work be concluded this year. Other than that, the Independent Commission based in Lausanne will operate completely independently of the UCI and will organize its work as it chooses. The commission’s terms of reference will explicitly state that the commission will act autonomously and that its members will not receive any instruction from the UCI.”

Cookson hopes that Armstrong will take part in the truth and reconciliation process, however, his participation is still pending. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in 2012 after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s Reasoned Decision investigation, and banned from Olympic sports for life. It’s been reported that he is now seeking a form of amnesty from his sanctioning in exchange for his co-operation and insight into the CIRC’s investigation. He said via his Twitter account that the UCI had not contacted him, but that he plans to co-operate if approached.

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