AIGLE, Switzerland (BRAIN) — Britain Brian Cookson has been elected president of the international cycling union, UCI, replacing its embattled chief Pat McQuaid.
Cookson, the former president of the British Cycling Federation, received 24 votes out of the total of 42 voting UCI delegates, versus 18 for McQuaid.
“I would like to thank you for all of the trust that you have placed in me today. The real work starts now. I would call on the global cycling community to unite,” Cookson said. “I would like to thank Pat sincerely for the contribution he has made both to cycling and to the UCI in his long career.”
In a UCI statement, McQuaid said, “I would like to extend my congratulations to Brian on his success in being elected UCI president. Being elected UCI President was one of the proudest moments in my life and I know that it is also a proud occasion for Brian, his family and his supporters.
“It has been a huge privilege to serve the sport that I love as UCI president for eight years and I enjoyed every day that I spent working with all of our federations to improve and develop cycling worldwide.
“Brian has set out what he intends to achieve over the next four years and I would encourage all cycling federations to support his efforts to work for the good of the sport.”
Cookson has supported the creation of a cycling "truth and reconciliation" commission to help the sport move forward following many years of continuous doping scandals.
