Super fine for Pogacar for his world champion jersey on the podium in Liège

The image of Tadej Pogacar raising his arms in Liège was still fresh when the UCI communicated an unusual financial sanction. The world champion, who had just signed his fourth Liège-Bastogne-Liège, was punished with an unusual fine for an infraction related to his jersey during the podium ceremony.

The UCI sanctions Pogacar after his victory in Liège

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider received a fine of 5,000 Swiss francs (€5,200) after the awards ceremony. The sanction is linked to a violation of the regulations governing the attire of the world champion, specifically regarding the placement of advertising on the rainbow jersey during the podium protocol.

The infraction falls within the technical regulations of the International Cycling Union, which establishes very precise criteria on how visual elements should be presented on official equipment, especially in the case of world champions.

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Beyond the regulatory reference, neither the race jury nor the UCI itself has provided specific details on what aspect of the jersey did not exactly comply with the regulation. This lack of precision has left the interpretation of the real reason for the sanction open.

Some hypotheses point to the position of the team logo in relation to the rainbow stripes, an aspect that is strictly regulated in terms of proportions and distances. However, there is no official confirmation on this point.

The amount of the sanction has particularly caught the attention within the peloton and among fans. It is not common to see fines of this magnitude for issues related to podium presentation.