Uci Denies Olympic Bribery Charge

World cycling governing body the UCI has denied allegations that it paid to get one of its disciplines included in the Olympic Games.

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) said money paid to it by organisers of a Japanese cycling event, the keirin, was not linked to its inclusion.

The UCI backed the keirin and it was admitted to the Olympics in 1996 but the governing body said there was no evidence of anything other than a ‘proper arrangement to promote track cycling’.

The UCI said in a statement: ‘The agreement did not include any provision regarding keirin’s acceptance as an Olympic sport or even a commitment by UCI to seek its inclusion in the Olympic programme.
 
‘As UCI exists to promote cycling, it is perfectly logical that UCI would cooperate with Japanese national cycling groups to encourage international interest in track cycling.

‘All expenses related to the agreement were reviewed by an independent auditor and deemed proper.’

The investigation by the BBC was based on documents that suggested that £1.5m was paid by keirin organisers to the UCI in the 1990s. The payments began just two months after the keirin was accepted into the Olympics.
 
In the keirin event, riders are initially paced around a track by a motorcycle before sprinting for the line.