UCI hit with EU antitrust complaint over sanctions for cycling in rival events

BRUSSELS – The International Cycling Union (UCI) has been hit with an EU antitrust complaint by a Scottish father on behalf of his 18-year-old son and bike trial rider, regarding the governing body’s allegedly anti-competitive practices and sanctions against riders taking part in rival events.

The complaint, filed to the European Commission on Feb 21, underscores the growing trend of athletes taking their grievances about governing bodies’ power to EU antitrust enforcers on competition grounds.

The complaint alleged that UCI abuses its dominant position and that it breaches EU competition rules by shutting out rivals and that its sanctions are disproportionate, especially for children. It urged the EU watchdog to order UCI to halt its alleged anti-competitive practices.

The issue started in 2022 when UCI sent letters to riders and national federations to discourage bike trial riders from taking part in non-UCI events in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Britain, the complaint said.

The letters were sent just before the BikeTrial International Union’s (BIU) European Championships. BIU is an independent entity which manages bike trial events.

Under UCI rules, participants in rival events could face fines up to 100,000 Swiss francs (S$150,000) and banned from UCI events.

David Johnson said his son, a bike trial competitive cyclist who had been planning to take part in a non-UCI event, received such a letter and that the recipients included children as young as eight.

“No child should be forced to choose between participating in the sport they love and their future in elite competition. UCI should end these unfair and unjustifiable restrictions, which undermine its values of widening access to cycling and inclusion,” said Johnson, who is being advised by law firm White Case on a pro bono basis.

The EU competition enforcer declined to comment.

UCI, meanwhile,