The partnership between the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) & Swiss watchmaker Tissot, a company of the Swatch Group,which started in 1995, is extended till 2020, a press release by UCI announced today.
With this extension the partnership period becomes 25 years, if not extended further in future, also makes Tissot the first “World Cycling Partner” in the history of the UCI, apart from being the exclusive Official Timekeeper of the UCI for all its events and competitions.
UCI which in July had extended their contract with the official clothing partner, Santini, till 2020, has done a similar extension with their Official Timekeeper. However, during this extended period, Tissot will additionally be in roles as listed below:
- Track Cycling: Tissot becomes the first ever title sponsor of the UCI Track World Cup and the first presenting partner of the UCI Track World Championships. This takes immediate effect from the 2016/17 season starting with the Tissot UCI Track World Cup at Glasgow (GBR) from November 4-6.
- Tissot to be the presenting sponsor of UCI World Hour Record. Tissot’s new status in track cycling responds perfectly to the disciplines requirements for reliability and innovation, which are essential in a discipline where the difference between victory and defeat can be fractions of seconds.
- Tissot to provide its timing services for all the World Championships of the UCI’s Olympic disciplines (road, track, mountain bike and BMX) as well as for all of the legs of the UCI Track World Cup and any future attempts at the UCI Hour Record.
- Tissot to provide GPS data at the UCI Road and Mountain Bike World Championships for presentation of the discipline to athletes and fans alike.
- Tissot to also present each of the future individual UCI World Champions in the Olympic disciplines with a watch in the “Tissot Watch Award”.
Speaking about the extension of the association with Tissot, UCI President Brian Cookson said, “I am extremely pleased about this historic agreement, which makes Tissot the Official Timekeeper of cycling. This partnership allies Tissot world-renowned precision with the growing popularity of our Olympic sport across the globe. All of our disciplines will benefit from this alliance and our fans will surely appreciate the technological savoir-faire of our trusted partner.”
Speaking about the role enhancement and contract period extension, François Thiébaud, Tissot President commented: “We are reinforcing our commitment to the UCI by becoming not only Official Timekeeper but also the first “UCI World Cycling Partner”. Our values of precision and innovation have allowed us to stay at the top of the game and to gain the trust of UCI. For us, this title proves it. We hope it will give another reason to our partners and customers to be proud of Tissot.”
UCI limits number of terms for Presidential Candidates
After changing the competition format of the three Cycling discipline, the UCI Congress (185th) changed UCI Constitution to limit number of terms for the Presidential Candidate.
The Congress, yesterday, voted in favour of a revised UCI Constitution which imposes new democratic processes, restricted the number of terms of office for the President (to three), became one of the first International Federations to formally impose this limit.
Other changes which were adopted are listed below:
- Broader representation of the Continental Confederations (at least two members from each) on the UCI Management Committee. In particular, in order to promote equality of representation around the world, the number of voting delegates has been raised from 7 to 9 for the African Confederation.
- Standing Orders of the Congress have been drawn up to govern the conduct of the Congress and ensure that elections are carried out in a democratic, transparent manner. An external notary/lawyer located in the host country shall oversee the election process, who’ll report irregularity, if any, to the three-member panel of the Ethics Commission present at the UCI Congress who shall determine whether the election shall be cancelled and re-held. The voting delegates shall now be democratically elected at Confederations and be identified in advance in order to ensure greater transparency.
The reform process, a commitment of President Brian Cookson, lasted nearly two years in conception and formulation led by a Constitutional Review Committee consisting of UCI President and the Presidents of the five Continental Confederations before put in for final consent of the Management Committee.
Speaking about the historic reforms, UCI President Brian Cookson said, “Today marks another important step forward for the governance of the UCI. It is in line with international best practice and will help to reinforce the UCI’s credibility within the international sports community, as well as with all our stakeholders.”
Reforms related to Code of Ethics & Ethics Commission
The 185th UCI Congress was updated on revised and strengthened Code of Ethics, which now includes all UCI and CADF personnel, consultants, and race organisers and in lieu of the broadened purview, the Ethics Commission has been reinforced and is now made up of five members, wherein three, including the Commission President, are independent from the world of cycling. The secretariat of the Commission remains independent from the UCI administration.
UCI has named the members of the Ethics Commission and are mentioned below:
- Mr. Bernard Foucher (FRA), President,
- Mr. Richard Leggat (NZL), member,
- Mr. Marcel Wintels (NED), member,
- Mrs. Urvasi Naidoo (GBR/RSA), member and
- Mr. Marc Cavaliero (ITA/SUI), member
Speaking about these reforms, the President of the UCI Ethics Commission, Bernard Foucher, said, “In order to continue the particularly constructive work of the former President Richard Leggat, who I thank, I would like the Ethics Commission, which can now rely on an entirely renewed Code, a composition of predominately independent members and real power, to help to its best ability the UCI’s different bodies ensure that the transparency and fundamental values of sport are respected.”
Three new Members
In the last of their announcement, the 185th Congress of UCI voted in favour to bring in the Commonwealth of Dominica, Niger and Tajikistan as the official members of the UCI, taking the total number of members to 187.
Speaking about new members and welcoming them to the UCI fold, Brian Cookson said, “I’m delighted to formally welcome the Commonwealth of Dominica, Niger and Tajikistan to the UCI Family. Our membership has grown from 178 to 187 National Federations in the past three years which demonstrates the true global nature of our sport. Taking cycling to new regions, reaching new audiences and attracting life-long fans remain among our priorities as we continue to develop cycling in all its forms worldwide.”