体坛英语新闻：UCI disbands independent commission

BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The International Cycling Union (UCI) has announced its disbanding of the Independent Commission citing lack of coorperation from fellow anti-doping angencies.

UCI president Pat McQuaid said in a statement Tuesday that the independent commission, established to probe into the allegations made against the UCI in the Lance Armstrong doping case, was not given support from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), whose investigation led to seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong's fall from grace.

"Over the weekend I spoke to John Fahey, President of WADA. He confirmed WADA' s willingness to help the UCI establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), as well as saying that WADA had no confidence in the existing Independent Commission process," said Mcquaid.

Given the situation, UCI Management Committee decided to disband the Independent Commission with "immediate effect" as "the federation could no longer fund a procedure whose outcome is likely to be rejected by such an important stakeholder."

The Independent Commission, established in November 2012, was chaired by former Court of Appeal judge Sir Philip Otton, and included the UK House of Lords Peer and Paralympic Champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and the Australian lawyer Malcolm Holmes QC.

Despite the Independent Commission members being appointed by John Coates, President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport, WADA, USADA and others immediately attacked the independence of its members.

UCI, then, will focus its efforts on a truth and reconciliation commission.

"We have listened carefully to the views of WADA, USADA and cycling stakeholders and have decided that a truth and reconciliation process is the best way to examine the culture of doping in cycling in the past and to clear the air so that cycling can move forward," Mcquid said.

"We will now focus our efforts on establishing a TRC, with which we expect WADA to be fully engaged, to look at doping in professional cycling, as well as the allegations contained in the USADA reasoned decision. The work that has so far been undertaken by the Independent Commission will be shared with the TRC," he said.

It is expected that the TRC process will launch later this year and, following its completion, its report will be published in full.