Pat McQuaid
 Pat McQuaid in 2011 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Patrick McQuaid |
| Born | 5 September 1949 Dublin, Ireland |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | President of UCI, 2005-2013 |
| Amateur team | |
| Professional team | |
| 1978–1979 | Viking–Campagnolo |
| Major wins | |
 Road Race Champion 1974Tour of Ireland 1975 & 1976 Tour of the Pennines 1978 | |
Patrick "Pat" McQuaid (born 5 September 1949 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish road racing cyclist, who had a strong amateur career and a brief professional period before moving into race promotion and administration in Ireland and globally, eventually serving two terms as president of the world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and three years as a member of the International Olympic Committee.[1] McQuaid is also a qualified physical education school teacher.
Family background
McQuaid comes from a cycling family, with his father Jim and uncle Paddy being top amateur cyclists, and also both, especially his uncle, having roles in national cycling organisation. His parents came from Dungannon in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Jim and Madge McQuaid raised 10 children, seven sons and three daughters. All seven sons raced. Paul, Oliver and Darach McQuaid, the youngest of the ten, as well as cousin John McQuaid represented Ireland in world road championships and some in Olympic road racing.
Currently there are 3 'McQuaid cycles' bicycle shops in Dublin, a brother, Kieron McQuaid, is the second largest importer of bikes in Ireland,[2] and another, Paul, runs a bicycle rental shop at Ussher's Island. Two of McQuaid’s sons have long established business interests in the sport - David McQuaid owns DMC Sports and is the general manager of an international cycling team, while Andrew McQuaid is a lawyer, rider agent and a member of the tripartite management of Team Wiggins.
Cycling career
McQuaid raced from 1966 to 1982, starting as a junior and then nationally and internationally as a senior.
He was Irish national road champion in 1974 and won the Tour of Ireland in 1975 and 1976. He also won the Shay Elliott Memorial Race.
South Africa visit
McQuaid, his brother Kieron, and Sean Kelly, went to South Africa to ride the Rapport Tour stage-race in preparation for the 1976 Olympic Games. They and others rode under false names[3] because of an international ban on athletes competing in South Africa - a protest against apartheid. The three Irish were detected, and suspended from racing for seven months by the national governing body, the Irish Cycling Federation. They were allowed back two months early and were racing again when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned them from the Olympics (this did not inhibit McQuaid from becoming a member of the IOC itself later).
Professional period
At the end of his career, he rode for the Viking Cycles professional team in Britain.
Educational career
McQuaid qualified as a physical education teacher at what is now St Mary's University, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham near London. During his later amateur cycling career, his two years with Viking, and for a time after, he worked in that capacity, first at Greenhills College in Walkinstown, a suburb of Dublin, where he held a full-time temporary post for three years. With a young family, at the age of 26, he was offered an interview for a permanent post, but chose instead to leave the job and focus on racing, in anticipation of the following year's Montreal Olympic Games.[4] He later returned to teaching, at Ballinteer Community School.[5] He also worked part-time on P.E. at Synge Street CBS.
Cycling administration
Having taken at least one leave of absence,[6] but then moved fully into race organisation in 1985,[7] and then later full-time sports administration. Highlights of this part of his career include:
Cycling in Ireland
- 1983 - 1986 (Appointed) Irish National Team Director
- 1985 - 1993 Director of the Nissan Tour of Ireland[7]
- 1995 - 1997 Elected to the Board of the Irish Cycling Federation, directly to the post of President
- 1998 Director of the Grand Depart for the Tour de France in Ireland
McQuaid ran for the post of President of the ICF in 1994, losing heavily, but won a clear mandate in 1995.
International race organisation
- 1993 - 1997 Director of the Tour of the Philippines
- 1993 - 2004 Director of the Tour of Langkawi (Malaysia)
International cycling management
- 1997 - 2005 (Elected) Member of the Board of Management of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
- 1997 - 2005 (Appointed) President of the UCI Road Commission
- 2005 - 2013 (Elected, 2005 and 2009) President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
On Friday 27 September 2013, McQuaid was a candidate for a third term as UCI President, with Brian Cookson the only other candidate. He had originally been nominated by the cycling federations of his countries of origin, Ireland, and residence, Switzerland, but both nominations were withdrawn. The election proceeded based on two third country nominations, allowed under a then-new UCI rule. The election took place at the UCI Congress in Florence, and Cookson prevailed by 24-18 votes. McQuaid, who had been in office since 2005, had pledged not to launch a legal challenge should he be defeated, in particular reference to the allegations of that votes had been bought[citation needed] by the member of the UCI Committee of Management from Turkmenistan, an ethnic Russian, who wanted McQuaid removed.[8][9]
Olympic and WADA roles
- 2006 - 2009 (Elected) Member of the Board of Management of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF)
- 2009 - 2012 (Elected) Member of the Executive & Foundation Board of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA)
- 2009 - 2014 (Elected) Vice President of the Board of Management of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF)
- 2009 - 2014 (Elected) Member of the Board of SportAccord
- 2010 - 2013 (Elected) Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
- 2010 - 2013 (Appointed) Member of the IOC Women In Sport Commission
- 2010 - 2013 (Appointed) Member of the IOC Entourage Commission
Corruption allegations, lawsuits and vindication
McQuaid has been involved in defamation lawsuits in Switzerland against people who accused UCI of corruption and collusion in regards to doping.
In September 2013, during the presidential election campaign, a dossier, allegedly prepared by the UCI Committee of Management member from Turkmenistan, Igor Makarov, supported by a USA delegate[citation needed], was leaked to the press - it contained allegations that McQuaid had made a promotional deal with Makarov, that the UCI had sought payment to cover up Alberto Contador's 2010 positive drug test, and that McQuaid made private arrangements with Lance Armstrong regarding drugs testing and race appearances. McQuaid denied all the allegations.[10]
The UCI, under its new president, set up the Cycling Independent Reform Committee (CIRC) to investigate various allegations. The CIRC interviewed UCI staff, cycling personnel and members of the general public, as well as having general access to the UCI computer servers, accounts, legal and sporting departments, as well as the email and phone records of McQuaid, both personal and business, in order to fully carry out their investigations. In March 2015, the CIRC report was made public and stated that there was no evidence to support the allegations of bribery or corruption against McQuaid.
Later life
McQuaid left the UCI and cycling, and Switzerland, after losing office, and now lives in the south of France, running a holiday accommodation business.
Family life
McQuaid is married; his wife, Aileen McQuaid (neé Carmody), was also a secondary school teacher.[4]
Awards
In March 2008, McQuaid was promoted to Commander in the Order of the Ivory Coast Sporting Merit (Commandeur dans l'ordre du mérite sportif de Côte d'Ivoire).[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Pat McQuaid loses presidency of world cycling union". Irish Time Online. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ^ McQuaid family about.shtml celtictrails.com
- ^ J. Burns, G. Main, D. Nixon, P. Nugent and A.Owen
- ^ a b Ryan, Barry (September 2017). The Ascent, Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation. Dublin, Ireland: Gill Books. p. 38. ISBN 978-0717175505.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Ryan, Barry (September 2017). The Ascent, Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation. Dublin, Ireland: Gill Books. p. 52. ISBN 978-0717175505.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Ryan, Barry (September 2017). The Ascent, Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation. Dublin, Ireland: Gill Books. p. 183. ISBN 978-0717175505.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b Ryan, Barry (September 2017). The Ascent, Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation. Dublin, Ireland: Gill Books. p. 191. ISBN 978-0717175505.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Pat McQuaid defeated in cycling's presidential election, theguardian.com, Friday 27 September 2013, retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ Former UCI chief Pat McQuaid had laptop seized after election loss, theguardian.com, Thursday 24 October 2013, retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ Beaudin, Matthew; Rogers, Neal (9 September 2013). "McQuaid denies leaked file alleging deep UCI corruption, cover-ups". Velonews. Retrieved 14 September 2013.