An arbitrator has issued a rare ruling compelling Cycling Canada to include Mississauga, Ont.s’ Dylan Bibic on national team for the omnium in the upcoming UCI track world championships in Santiago, Chile. The decision overturns the previous team selection that had excluded Bibic from the omnium.
The 22-year-old former world champion is ranked seventh globally in men’s endurance.
Bibic’s palmarès
Bibic secured Canada’s berth in the omnium event at the world championships through his individual points and ranking. Among his achievements in 2024: he won the UCI Champions League and got a bronze medal at the worlds.
According to the CBC, Cycling Canada altered its selection criteria in December 2024. The new criteria eliminated 2024 track results from consideration for the omnium event.
His spot was instead given to Toronto’s Christ Ernst for the omnium. Bibic then filed a complaint with the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) on Aug. 12. The complaint said that his exclusion was influenced by a previous safe-sport complaint he had filed against an unnamed person involved in the selection process.
Arbitrator’s decision
In her decision, Arbitrator Praveen Sandhu found that Cycling Canada had failed to establish a clear line of reasoning for its actions. The federation had also not produced meeting minutes or notes to justify the differential treatment of the omnium event. Sandhu said that it’s “rare for an athlete to have direct evidence of personal bias” but the accumulation of circumstantial evidence in this case made the perception reasonable. She concluded that the situation was urgent given the upcoming event. That compelled her to make the selection herself rather than allowing another selection process, given the timeline.
“Arbitrators are generally reluctant to make selection decisions themselves, but will do so if the situation is urgent or if fairness is a concern,” Bibic’s legal representatives, Dr. Emir Crowne and Amanda Fowler said in a statement. “Having found bias in an already urgent appeal, it was unsurprising that the arbitrator felt compelled to make the selection herself.”
His legal team said that while the ruling was expected, it highlighted the importance of sending the best athletes to international competitions.
“It still boggles the mind why or how a national sport organization would select an athlete ranked 135th over one…
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