Arbitrator Orders Cycling canada too Include Bibic on World Championship team
An arbitrator has overturned a team selection decision by cycling Canada, ensuring Dylan Bibic will compete for Canada at the upcoming UCI Track Cycling World Championships in santiago, Chile. the ruling comes after Bibic, a Mississauga, Ontario native ranked seventh globally in men’s track endurance cycling, was initially excluded despite securing Canada’s berth in the omnium event through his performance.
The dispute arose after Cycling Canada altered the selection criteria specifically for the omnium on december 16th, retroactively removing 2024 results from consideration. The omnium, a demanding multi-race event, is widely considered the ultimate test of all-around track cycling ability.
Bibic filed a complaint with the Sport Dispute Resolution Center of Canada (SDRCC) on August 12th, alleging the decision to select a cyclist ranked 135th over him was retaliatory, following his filing of a 2024 safe-sport complaint against an individual involved in the team selection process.
“Arbitrators are generally hesitant to directly intervene in team selections,” stated Bibic’s legal counsel, Dr. Emir Crowne and Amanda Fowler,in a joint release. “Though, when faced with evidence of bias and an urgent timeline, thay are compelled to act to ensure fairness.” They added, “It remains perplexing why a national organization would prioritize an athlete ranked 135th over a seventh-ranked competitor, and than expend significant effort defending that choice.Canada deserves to send its strongest athletes.”
The arbitrator highlighted that Canada qualified for the omnium spot because of Bibic’s 2024 results, including a victory in the UCI Champions League against the world’s elite, a bronze medal at the 2024 World Championships, and three gold medals at Nations Cup events, one of which was in the omnium itself.
With the World Championships commencing on October 22nd, arbitrator Praveen Sandhu resolute that Cycling Canada must include Bibic on the team, rather then initiate a new selection process. Sandhu found that Cycling Canada failed to provide a convincing rationale for its decision-making process and did not adequately demonstrate it was acting in good faith, even if that was its intention.
Sandhu acknowledged the difficulty athletes face in proving direct bias,noting that such cases frequently enough rely on accumulating circumstantial evidence. She concluded that in this instance, the evidence presented established a reasonable perception of bias. Furthermore, Cycling Canada was unable to provide any documentation – such as meeting minutes or notes – explaining the rationale behind the unique treatment of the omnium event compared to other track cycling disciplines.
