Ban country names on cycling teams: this is the proposal of the former president of the UCI

The former president of the UCI, Brian Cookson, has proposed preventing professional teams from carrying the name of a country in their denomination. This directly points to the controversy experienced in the last Vuelta a España, but Cookson himself describes it as a "quick, partial, and undoubtedly imperfect solution."

Brian Cookson proposes banning state names in cycling teams after the chaos of the Vuelta

Cookson's idea, who was president of the UCI between 2013 and 2017, would affect teams like UAE Team Emirates, Bahrain-Victorious, or Israel-Premier Tech, the latter team becoming the main focus of pro-Palestinian demonstrations during the Spanish tour. The disturbances caused road closures, interruptions in the middle of the route, and even the cancellation of stages, with the final day in Madrid marked by violence in the streets.

But the extent of the protests has raised concerns about Barcelona's ability to host the start of the Tour de France 2026 if Israel-Premier Tech remains in the peloton. Although the city council has reiterated that it does not consider canceling the start, its sports councilor, David Escudé, has made the municipal position clear: "We want teams competing under the flag of Israel, just as it happened with Russia, to stop doing so."

In Canada, the Israeli team has already decided to remove the name "Israel" from the signage and official jersey in certain events as a security measure, a decision that highlights the tension surrounding the team. But the team owner, Sylvan Adams, also said a few days ago that the name Israel would not disappear from the team.

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Cookson has made these suggestions in recent statements to the road.cc media and insists that the root of the problem is geopolitical and that cycling can do little to solve it:

"This situation has very deep roots that can only be addressed at a governmental level. But what we can do in cycling is prevent protests from turning our races into an easy target."

The British man suggests strengthening security and rethinking the role of teams linked to states:

"What can our sport do to stop, or at least reduce, what could become an existential threat? More barriers, more security, better crowd control... And maybe a rule that prohibits teams from adopting the name of a country as their main title. In football, for example, we don't see a club directly called 'Emirates' or 'Bahrain'."

The debate has escalated after the harsh exchange between the UCI and the Spanish Government. The international organization criticized Pedro Sánchez for "exploiting sports for political purposes" by supporting the protesters, while the Higher Sports Council responded by accusing the federation of "whitewashing" Israel's actions in Gaza.

Tension increases with the latest reports from the UN, which point to Israel for genocide, and with rumors of possible boycotts by other WorldTour teams if the situation does not change by the next season.

Amidst this climate, Cookson's words reopen the uncomfortable debate of whether cycling teams should be ambassadors of states with political and economic interests, or should sports shield themselves from those associations to ensure their future?