The final stage of the Vuelta a España collapsed under the weight of weeks of escalating protest, with the final circuit abandoned entirely and the sport’s governing body now openly at odds with the Spanish government.
On Monday, the UCI released a scathing, unusually pointed press release directed primarily at the Spanish authorities, in which it accused the Spanish prime minister of supporting "actions that could hinder the smooth running of a sporting competition," and called into question "Spain's ability to host major international sporting events."
Explicitly, the statement condemns both the Spanish government and the protests themselves, while extoling the virtues of neutrality and the UCI's view that sport must "remain autonomous," separate from politics. Implicitly, the statement answers a deeper question: Will the pressure from riders, teams and governments force the UCI to act on Israel-Premier Tech’s inclusion?
Dane Cash
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