Team Sky Suspends Cyclist Over Racial Abuse

UCI has opened an investigation into an incident between Sky rider Gianni Moscon and FDJ's Kevin Reza at the Tour of Romandie.

Bicycling Staff | 3 May 2017

UCI has opened an investigation into an incident between Sky rider Gianni Moscon and FDJ’s Kevin Reza at the Tour of Romandie. – By Bicycling Staff

gianni-moscon-racial-abuse

Italian cyclist Gianni Moscon was suspended on Monday for six weeks by Team Sky for racially abusing FDJ rider Kevin Reza during the Tour of Romandie.

Video captured Reza and Moscon in tense discussion just beyond the stage 3 finish line this past Friday; according to Cyclingnews, it later emerged that this is when Moscon used racially offensive language.

Team Sky confirmed the incident, noting that Moscon had been given a formal written warning following a disciplinary meeting and is set to attend a diversity awareness course.

“Gianni recognises that his behavior was wrong and how seriously Team Sky take this kind of incident. … Any repeat will result in termination of his contract,” the team said in a statement. “He apologised to Kevin Reza after the stage and again to him and his team the following morning, and this apology was accepted.”Team Sky allowed Moscon to complete the race’s last stage the following Sunday.However, the UCI has opened an investigation into the incident.”The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) expects everyone in its sport to respect the highest standards of ethics and conduct,” the UCI wrote in an email to Cyclingnews. “Racial abuse has no place in cycling or any other sport and any such complaint will be investigated and sanctioned if substantiated.”Under the same rule applied to Andriy Grivko when he punched Marcel Kittel in February, “defamatory or abusive language” carries potential UCI bans of up to six months.As noted by Cyclingnews, UCI has in the past refrained from applying bans; as recently as 2015, the UCI allowed CCC–Sprandi–Polkowice’s Branislau Samoilau to be dealt with internally by his team after racially abusing then-MTN—Qhubeka’s Natnael Berhane during a stage of the Tour of Austria.

Team Sky Suspends Cyclist Over Racial Abuse

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