The President of the UCI David Lappartient attended the XXII Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly that took place in Prague, Czech Republic, last week.
Mr Lappartient met with numerous key figures of the Olympic movement, including the ANOC President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the President of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) Neven Ilic Álvarez, and leaders of many of the 206 NOCs present in Prague.
On the UCI President’s agenda was the necessity to engage with Continental Confederations to clearly understand their priorities and identify areas for collaboration between National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and cycling’s National Federations (NFs). This is particularly the case in certain countries in Oceania and Africa where more support is required, and where reforms within the NFs could be envisaged. The UCI aims to improve services provided to NFs by optimising resources between the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) Solidarity Funding and the UCI’s Solidarity programme.
Positive discussions took place concerning the 2018 Asian Games (Indonesia, August 18 – September 2) which will feature five cycling disciplines, and the 2019 Pan American Games (Lima, Peru, July 26 – August 11) where competitions will be held for four cycling disciplines.
Mr Lappartient also talked briefly with the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Sir Craig Reedie, who commended the UCI’s continued efforts in the fight against doping. The two heads agreed to meet again in the coming weeks for more in-depth discussions on this issue.