SEPANG – National track cycling coach John Beasley outwardly lambasted the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) president David Lappartient for seemingly “not caring about cycling” following the Paris Olympics.
Beasley’s sharp criticism did not stop there. He condemned the UCI leadership for bias as well as inconsistent decisions made by the jury and commissaries during several races there, particularly during the track cycling races.
According to the Australian-born coach, the current leadership is “out of touch” with the sport, making critical rulings without fully understanding the consequences for the athletes involved.
As such, he called for the UCI leadership to be revamped.
“Here we are at the biggest sporting event in the world, yet we have a group of amateurs who work full time in other professions, coming together to adjudicate our sport,” Beasley told Scoop.
“These are the people making all the rule changes and major decisions, yet many of them don’t truly understand the sport because they’ve never raced or experienced what it’s like to ride a bike at 80km/h.”
His frustration stemmed from Datuk Azizulhasni Awang’s disqualification in the sprint event for allegedly overtaking the derny too early and Shah Firdaus Sahrom’s narrow miss for bronze in the keirin event after a collision with Japanese rider Shinji Nakano.
“At the Olympics, we witnessed Jack Carlin with Jeffrey Hoogerland – (Carlin) was already on a warning and should have received another after nearly knocking (Hoogerland) down with hard contact. But instead, they just restarted the race.
“(Carlin) should have been given a second warning, which would have disqualified him from competing in the keirin. Unfortunately, while we were penalised for a minor infraction, there was a French rider who repeatedly committed the same offence.
“We have video evidence showing this rider cutting down on other athletes when they had the lane and moving into others’ paths. These are just a few examples.
“We’re compiling footage and key questions that demand answers,” Beasly said.
Beasley plans to take his grievances to the World Track Cycling Championships in October, where he will present video evidence of the incidents and seek support from other countries.
“What frustrates me most is that the Malaysian National Cycling Federation doesn’t stand up for its own athletes.
“The Asian Confederation, too, just goes along with the votes. With 47 countries casting votes for the UCI president…if the president doesn’t secure the Asian votes, he won’t win.
“So, they maintain their circle of power without looking out for their own, and that’s the real issue. We’re not the only ones raising complaints,” Beasley added.
Despite reaching out to Lappartient directly, Beasley received no response, which only deepened his discontent.
“I sent an email to the president but didn’t receive a response – perhaps I’ll get back to you later, I’m busy, or I received your email but heard nothing in return. This is the type of people we’re dealing with.”
Determined to hold those in power accountable, Beasley intends to request permission to present his case including video evidence at a forum during the World Track Cycling Championships scheduled for October in Ballerup, Denmark.
“I would also like all the commissaries from the Olympics to be present at that forum,” he added, underscoring the need for transparency and accountability in the sport. – August 16, 2024
