Following an extensive review process, the organizers have announced that the UCI Road World Championships will take place in Switzerland this September as planned. This news puts an end to months of uncertainty and rumors about whether Aigle and Martigny would remain the host sites, doubts which had grown as the COVID-19 pandemic forced many major sporting events to be cancelled or postponed.
The organizing committee informed the press that they are now finalizing the event dates, a decision reached after evaluating current health conditions and the specific restrictions mandated by the Federal Council and the UCI. This settles previous reports from May, which speculated that the competition might be moved to the United Arab Emirates or Qatar to a later date.
The decision to proceed was made possible because the Swiss government has started rolling back its lockdown restrictions. Consequently, the committee is now fully confident that they can host the UCI Road World Championships in Aigle and Martigny as originally intended.
Co-presidents Grégory Devaud and Alexandre Debons shared that their team has been working tirelessly over the past few months to make the event a reality, accelerating preparations since the official confirmation. They expressed their sincere thanks to the UCI, the local authorities, the sponsors, and the many volunteers who have signed up. At the same time, they stressed that they are proceeding with caution, keeping a close eye on the global health situation as they prepare.
Last month, the UCI released a comprehensive set of health guidelines to manage the return of cycling championships. These protocols, designed to protect participants and staff from COVID-19, were developed based on recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and a World Athletics task force, led by UCI medical director Xavier Bigard. Katerina Nash, president of the UCI Athletes Commission, also helped shape these rules to ensure they comply with both national and international laws. These guidelines will remain flexible and be updated as the pandemic evolves.