Katusha appeals WorldTour exclusion to CAS

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Katusha has confirmed that it has appealed its exclusion from the 2013 UCI WorldTour to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.

Although Katusha finished second in the 2012 WorldTour team rankings and Joaquim Rodriguez topped the individual standings, the squad was not among the 18 teams awarded WorldTour licences on Monday.

In a brief statement released on Saturday morning, Katusha confirmed that it had lodged an appeal with CAS, stating that “applying to the CAS became a direct consequence of the policy of isolation, pursued by the UCI License Commission, and was made in strict accordance with all law regulations.”

The UCI’s evaluation report on Katusha’s application initially found that the squad did not comply with the required financial criteria for WorldTour status. Katusha representatives were then called to provide further documentation at a meeting with the UCI Licence Commission on November 22, and the team insists that auditors Ernst & Young confirmed that the “explanation and information were unconditionally accepted and sufficient.”

The Russian Cycling Federation, which is closely linked to the Katusha set-up, described the situation as discriminatory and said it will “defend the interests of the team, meaning Russian cycling in general.”