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s future Tad PogacharThe Emirates team is at risk as pressure mounts on Western governments to impose sanctions on the United Arab Emirates for allegedly facilitating the flow of Russian people and money during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, a reported 275,000 Russians, including individuals subject to Western sanctions, have relocated or frequently visited the UAE, some diverting their funds and assets.Former FBI agent Karen Greenaway told the news publication sound (opens in a new tab) This “money flow … enables Russia to continue to run its economy and its war economy.”
In October, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, who praised the relationship as an “important factor for stability” in the world. Contrary to Western countries, the UAE has sought to remain neutral in the war and, unlike Western governments, it has not imposed sanctions on Russia or criticized the invasion.
In a further escalation of tensions, the EU bowed to demands from some MEPs to add the UAE to Europe’s “blacklist” of high-risk money laundering countries (opens in a new tab) early november. The intergovernmental body Financial Action Task Force previously placed the state on a gray list in the spring, a move that was essentially a warning of bad behaviour.
Meanwhile, British lawyers representing Ukrainian human rights activists have asked the British government to investigate whether there should be sanctions against members of the state’s ruling royal family and government officials with stakes in the UK.
The prospect of additional measures has raised questions about what will happen in the world of cycling, with companies linked to the state’s ruling government owning both the men’s UAE team and the women’s UAE team ADQ; there is also a men’s and women’s WorldTour in the UAE in February Contest.
A former senior official at the cycling governing body UCI, who spoke on condition of anonymity recently, told bike weekly If the UAE is sanctioned, the UCI and its chairman, David Lappartient, will face difficult decisions.
“The cycling team has a team sponsored by the UAE, and the money comes from corporate sponsors, so I think it would create difficulties for the UCI if the UAE was specifically sanctioned for its ties to Putin’s Russia,” the former official said.
“What will they do with the UAE men’s team, a top team with Pogačar and one of the best funded? There are some serious implications for the team and others.
“It’s relatively easy for them to deal with teams like Russia, Belarus and Gazprom. But big teams like the UAE, and world tour events like the UAE Tour, are at the top level of men’s professional cycling. It’s a very important element. There’s a big problem here and they’re going to be hard to deal with.”
UAE Team Emirates is registered in the UAE, although the UCI licensee, CGS Cycling, has an address in Switzerland.
What’s the connection between the UAE government, Russia and cycling?
(Image credit: Getty)
Emirates Team Emirates is sponsored by a number of UAE companies, including Emirates, which continues to offer daily non-stop flights between Moscow and Dubai.
ADQ, the title sponsor of the women’s team and backer of the men’s team, is a sovereign wealth fund described as using the soft power of the Arab region to buy business assets. Its chairman is the state’s national security adviser, Sheikh Thanoon bin Zayed Al Nayhan, who is also the brother of the country’s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan .
Sheikh Tahnoon also chairs Abu Dhabi-based private investment fund Chimera Investments LLC, which in 2020 acquired Colnago, the bicycle manufacturer used by two UAE teams.
Other sponsors of the men’s team include real estate firm Emaar and Yas Park Gate. Russians bought more property in the UAE than people from any other country between July and September.
How will the UCI respond?
The UCI Governing Council is made up of 18 people, including Osama Ahmed Abdullah Al Shafar, who heads the Asian and UAE Cycling Federation and is a member of the UAE Federal National Council, the parliamentary body responsible for reviewing and revising all proposed federal legislation in the state .
On November 19, Mr Al Shafar posted a photo on Instagram with sanctioned Russian oligarch Makorov, who continues to serve on the same UCI management board. “With my dear brother Igor Makarov,” the photo caption read.
The former official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr Al Shafar’s presence on the board would complicate UCI’s decision-making if they were forced to act. “As far as the UAE is concerned, Osama Al Shafar will certainly have an influence on it. I think he will be very keen to influence how things go. They [the Asian Cycling Federation] Will lobby international agencies to prevent this from happening. “
bike weekly Multiple e-mails were sent to Mr Al Shafar but no response was received.
Two board members responded bike weeklyinterview request. “It is important to understand that the UCI is not a political organization,” said Czech Katerina Nash.
In an email, she added: “Since MC [the management committee] Daily events are not handled. Our next meeting will be in January. You will need to contact UCI’s Legal Department.
“I know [that the] The UCI will take immediate action if there is any danger to an athlete traveling and competing during a competition [the] UAE or if NF [national federation] Corrupt and doesn’t follow the rules. [The] The Mexican Federation (FMC) is a good example. The FMC was suspended by the UCI in 2021 due to the mismanagement of the selection process for the Tokyo Olympics, citing “serious breaches of obligations… particularly with regard to the governance and electoral process.” “
Dane Henrik Jess Jensen, also on the committee, said: “In [the] UCI Our governance system is such that questions and answers from UCI institutions are answered by the president or general manager. ’ When someone told him it disappointed him, he fell silent, responding in an email: “There are always pros and cons, but I have to respect UCI governance. “
When questions were posed to the UCI, a spokesperson pointed to the agency’s current rules on sanctioning Russians and said it would “continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine.”
Who is Igor Makarov?
Igor Makarov is a Russian oligarch (opens in a new tab) Estimated net worth is $2.1 billion. A former Soviet cyclist, Makarov founded the ITERA oil and gas company in 1992.
In 2011, he became a member of the UCI’s governing board, but in April he was sanctioned by the Australian and Canadian governments, which called him a “close associate of the Russian regime”.
In October, UCI president David Rapatinit confirmed that Makarov remained on the governing board, saying: “We agree with the IOC’s position that Russian teams and drivers will not be allowed to participate in any competitions. However, The Russian or Belarusian NOCs have not been suspended, and therefore neither their national federations nor their officials.”
Makarov has repeatedly denied he has ties to Vladimir Putin.
Team UAE’s Tadej Pogačar, the world’s number one male rider, finished second in this summer’s Tour de France
(Image credit: Getty)
If sanctioned, a former UCI official told continuous wave The UCI will take the lead from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They said: “I think in terms of international relations, it’s better to be united, it’s better to let international institutions have the say. If you do something unilaterally, you’re going to get in trouble.
“I think there’s going to be a debate, a discussion, maybe a meeting with organizations like the IOC to try to understand what’s the most appropriate response for all sports, rather than just making individual cases. That’s what Lappartient will look to do .
“The most likely scenario is that members of the UCI governing board would react to something like this rather than being proactive.”
Ukrainian Cycling Federation President Andrei Grivko has repeatedly praised the UCI’s actions since the outbreak of the war and backed the governing body to continue to stand with Ukraine.
He says continuous wave: “This issue is political. It is better to ask the Olympic Committee [because] It is known that the International Federation followed the decision of Thomas Bach [the IOC president].
“What I’ve seen is that the penalties in the cycling federation are quite high compared to other sports.”
when continuous wave Contacted by the IOC, a spokesperson said: “The mission of the IOC and the Olympic Games is to unite the world in peaceful competition.” They went on to note that the IOC has always tried to remain neutral in global conflicts.
Both the UCI and UAE-Team Emirates declined to make a statement, while the UAE Tour and UAE Team ADQ did not respond.
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