The Ecuadorian Biking Federation (FEC) introduced on Monday that it has chosen Jhonatan Narváez (Ineos Grenadiers) for the one spot for the Paris Olympic Video games highway occasions over defending champion Richard Carapaz.
Narváez will compete in each the time trial and highway race in Paris.
The FEC defined that it appointed the Ecuadorian consultant “as requested by the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee (COE), on the premise of federal autonomy and the laws issued.”
In a press release issued on social media final week, Carapaz decried “a scarcity of transparency and equity” within the choice course of, and that they have been “clearly biased and lack the basic ideas of sports activities justice and fairness.”
Nonetheless, on Monday, Carapaz issued a video wishing Narvaéz luck in Paris and thanking his supporters.
The FEC solely launched its choice standards in March however used UCI factors gained from January 1 to Could 21, 2024, to decide on the top-ranked rider.
Carapaz was ranked larger than Narváez within the UCI rankings, which calculate factors on a rolling 12-month calendar, however the scenario was reversed in outcomes taken solely from this yr.
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The EF Schooling First-EasyPost rider complained that the revision to the choice standards got here out after the beginning of the interval to achieve factors had already begun.
“This could have been issued on the finish of the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Video games or on the finish of final season when all athletes began with zero factors and will plan our season equitably,” Carapaz acknowledged.
“Nonetheless, its publication in an improvised method and with out room for manoeuvre appears to be designed to maintain me out of Paris and exempt the president of the FEC from any accountability.”
Carapaz had appealed to the Ministry of Sport to intervene, however the FEC selected to finalise the choice earlier than the request may very well be accepted.
In 2021, Carapaz turned the primary Ecuadorian athlete to win a gold medal in biking on the Olympics. He raced in Tokyo with Narváez.
This season, Carapaz received his nationwide time trial championship, whereas Narváez received the highway race. Carapaz completed second general within the Tour Colombia and received the ultimate stage. He additionally received a stage of the Tour de Romandie.
Narváez received the Down Beneath Basic and completed second within the Tour Down Beneath in January, and extra lately received the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia.
