The dust has by no means settled on the Lance Armstrong doping scandal. Following a punchy response by SKINS towards the end of October, where the apparel specialist asked if cycling’s governing body the UCI was ‘simply incompetent or basically corrupt’, SKINS has now embarked on legal action against UCI.
SKINS notes that its ‘hand has been forced into taking legal action’, as company Chairman Jamie Fuller states…
This weekend, SKINS served a demand on the governing body of world cycling seeking damages of US$2 million as a consequence of alleged mis-management in the Lance Armstrong doping scandal.
For more than 5 years, SKINS has been a proud supporter of world cycling and has partnered with teams, riders and international cycling organisations across the world. As a company we have invested heavily into research and development to build a sports-specific product range aimed at those who participate at every level.
We did all this while under the impression that cycling had been fundamentally reformed after the Festina affair in the ‘90’s and that co-ordinated management from the UCI to contain doping activity had minimised the risks and scandals with which the brand of any sponsor would be associated.
The events of the last several months or so have made it abundantly clear that world cycling has not been the sport the general public and the corporate partners thought it was. Consequently, as Chairman of a company that has made a significant financial and emotional investment, I am acting in order to send a message to the UCI and its senior office bearers that gross mis-management and betrayal of trust is completely unacceptable.
Consequently, it is now clear that SKINS’ financial and emotional investment into cycling has been damaged and our legitimate commercial expectations have been betrayed. If the public no longer have confidence that cycling is ‘clean’ they may question those who support its existence.
SKINS’ demand against the UCI sends out a serious corporate message that the support of partners and sponsors in any world sport cannot be abused and must be preserved by unimpeachable leadership.
The unequivocal overhaul of cycling can only be achieved by a credible and capable governing body. In serving this action, SKINS is also serving notice that the UCI is not currently the organisation that cycling needs it to be. For the last 22 years, there have been two people at the head of this organisation and we allege that they are directly responsible for the culture of denial within the UCI. It’s past time for change…
The letter of demand and full release from SKINS’ Jamie Fuller can be viewed online.
