The war of words continues. Spain’s top sports official has pushed back against the UCI’s statement on Monday. The governing body condemned protests that forced the cancellation of the Vuelta a España’s final stage in Madrid.
In the statement, the UCI said it was “deeply concerned” by the wave of demonstrations that disrupted the race multiple times. Some of the protests included people charging into the peloton, some involved throwing urine at riders. One even caused a crash that left a rider injured and forced to abandon.
Surprised by UCI’s reaction
In a strongly worded letter to UCI president David Lappartient, Higher Sports Council (CSD) president José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes said he was “profoundly dismayed” and “surprised” by the UCI’s stance. In the statement, he argued that peaceful protest is a constitutional right.
UCI slams Madrid Vuelta chaos, questions Spain’s ability to host major events
“In Spain, as in all democratic societies, the right to free and peaceful protest is a fundamental right, enshrined in our 1978 Constitution,” Rodríguez Uribes wrote in a statement posted on X. “If, moreover, the cause is just and noble, defending human rights, then free and peaceful expression becomes a moral duty.”
He rejected the notion that sport can stand apart from global events. “Out of our deepest admiration and respect for our athletes, and while rejecting any form of violence as we always have, we believe that sport cannot be an island indifferent to what happens in the world or detached from grave violations of human rights,” he said.
On the Israel – Hamas war
Rodríguez Uribes accused the UCI of turning a blind eye to the war in Gaza. “To whitewash through sport a genocide such as that being committed in Gaza … is indeed a political stance that contravenes the Olympic Charter,” he wrote, noting that the UCI had acted more decisively when Russia invaded Ukraine. (It should be note that although Israel is in the name of the ProTeam, it is not directly funded by the the State of Israel. It is, however, co-owned by Israeli-Canadian Sylvan Adams. Of the 32 riders on the squad, three are Israeli. The rest are European, Canadian, American or New Zealanders.)
He also dismissed suggestions Spain lacks the organizational ability to host major events. Rodríguez Uribes cited recent successes from the European downhill championships in La Molina to the upcoming 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Vuelta director says…
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