UCI sends threatening letter to cycling commentator Benji Naesen
The UCI has sent a letter to cycling commentator and podcaster Benji Naesen, warning him about comments he has made on social media. Naesen, co-host of the Lanterne Rouge Cycling Podcast, made the letter public on Saturday, saying he had received it "without any prior communication" from a senior member of the organisation.
The letter, which Naesen posted on social media on Saturday, dates from April 2 of this year. The writer, whose name has been redacted by Naesen, states that while the UCI accepts “objective and constructive criticism,” the governing body felt that some of Naesen’s comments cross a legal boundary.
The UCI claimed several of his statements could be considered “injurious” towards the organisation and its elected officials, and it warned that such comments could be subject to criminal proceedings in Switzerland. The letter does not specify which comments the UCI considered to be “injurious.”
The letter also suggested that some of Naesen's comments about UCI regulations were factually incorrect, and the writer invited him to verify information with the organisation before publishing comments in the future.
Despite describing itself as an attempt at “constructive dialogue,” the letter ends with a direct warning. If further comments the UCI deems injurious are made, the governing body said, it would “have no option but to consider a more formal course of action, and the filing of a complaint.”
Naesen said he had filed a formal complaint against the sender with the UCI Ethics Commission.
“It’s impossible for me to assess the legitimacy of their claims, or correct past comments, when the letter does not include a single example of a comment the UCI deems ‘injurious’. This makes me a little scared that I may be subject to legal proceedings if I publish a negative comment about the UCI in the future,” Naesen said on Saturday.
“Safety and fairness in the sport of cycling are topics close to my heart, so I passionately speak out about them on my social media. I think that intent, of expressing my opinion because I want a better sport, comes across in my work.”
The UCI previously blocked journalist Ian Treloar’s accreditation request for the World Championships in Wollongong in 2022 after he had written articles for CyclingTips questioning president David Lappartient and the governing body’s relationship with the former Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.
“We’re not always right at the UCI but we’re not always wrong either. To always write articles that challenge the UCI - that is not completely balanced,” Lappartient complained at the time.
Domestique has requested comment from the UCI on the contents of the letter it send to Naesen.
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