Cycling’s world governing body is to trial mixed-gender events in a behind closed doors experiment later this week in response to a request from the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC is pushing international federations for more gender equality and its president, Thomas Bach, has encouraged the UCI to experiment with mixed relays.
The UCI president, Brian Cookson, has revealed that test events will take place in Switzerland this week, with young international riders taking part in a mixed team sprint and mixed madison event. It is also investigating the possibility of a mixed time-trial relay on the road.
“We’re going to try it,” said Cookson. “The coaches and sports scientists tell me that men are between 10 and 15% stronger and faster in any given cycling event so we have to find ways of managing that difference if men and women will be competing in the same event at the same time.”
Cookson said the idea had come from Bach himself, who has been looking at ways to modernise and streamline the Olympic programme as part of his Agenda 2020 programme.
“It’s an interesting idea. There’s no real heritage of it in our sport so we’ll have to take a look at it and see what works and what doesn’t,” said Cookson. “When the president of the IOC says something we take it seriously. So we’ll have a look at it.”
Among the riders taking part will be under-23 competitors from the British Cycling programme. If the experiment is a success, mixed events could be incorporated into the Olympics in time for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
“The Olympics is changing and we have to adapt to a different world. Let’s be open about it, let’s look at it and try some practical experiments,” said Cookson, who was speaking at a Sports Industry Breakfast Club event sponsored by CWM FX.
“If it’s a disaster and it doesn’t work we can report back and tell the IOC we tried it and it didn’t work.”
But Cookson said that while he was open to experimenting with mixed-gender events, his overriding priority was to protect the existing number of events and medals on offer for the sport.
