Human rights groups "have written to world cycling’s governing body, urging it to reject an attempt by a member of Bahrain’s ruling royal family to bankroll the Middle East’s first professional WorldTour cycling team," according to Owen Gibson of the London GUARDIAN. Organizations including the Bahrain Institute for Human Rights and Democracy, and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights, claim that Prince Nasser bin Hamad al-Khalifa’s involvement in the sport "would be in breach" of the Int'l Cycling Union's code of ethics and have accused him of using cycling to "whitewash" his past. Prince Nasser took to Instagram last month "to announce the launch of the Kingdom of Bahrain Cycling Team, which is expected to debut next season with signings including the Italian rider Vincenzo Nibali." He "is expected to publicly unveil the team during the Tour de France in July." Cycling Weekly reported last month that the team would have a budget of between £11.5M ($16.6M) and £13.7M ($19.8M) and said that Nibali "had also approached Sky’s Nicolas Roche about joining the new team." Campaigners claim that the regime "is using the sport to attempt to deflect from human rights abuses." BIRD Dir of Advocacy Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei said, "Prince Nasser is throwing money at international cycling to use it as PR to whitewash his past in Bahrain. It’s the duty of the UCI to reject the Bahrain Cycling Team WorldTour license." Amid a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in April '11, Prince Nasser, son of Bahrain’s King Hamad and head of the Royal Guard, "formed an investigative committee to identify and sanction athletes who took part in the demonstrations." A Bahraini granted asylum in the U.K. subsequently "made allegations that they were personally tortured by Prince Nasser in 2011." Lawyers for Prince Nasser, who is also head of Bahrain’s National Olympic Committee, said last year, "The allegations are entirely false and categorically denied by Prince Nasser" (GUARDIAN, 6/7).
