Even if we don't want to see an ulterior motive, we have to talk about a clumsy attempt to manage the situation. In addition to the new technical commissioners, in recent days there has been a lot of talk about membership that the FCI requested for the so-called OPMs (media operators).
The starting need is that of having trained and insured figures on the racing roads: a sacrosanct requirement. And then there is probably that of sanctioning those who commit irregularities, given the launch of the yellow card system also for operatorsHowever, this can be done very well with simple accreditation, requiring acceptance of the UCI regulations on the subject. In any case, to provide such training, a a series of online courses (next Wednesday, February 26th). In them, no more and no less, are repeated the concepts that each photographer hears in the technical meetings before each important race. Course cost: 30 euros.
It might make sense if the course was for novice operators. However, given the level of the participants, several of the professionals involved could have taught the art to the teachersi.
Once the course was completed and to get the card, it was imposed the obligation to register for a club affiliated with the FCIMembership includes insurance and that's it. Membership fee: 60 euros.
Furthermore, once the card has been obtained, the operator will have to equip himself with a green bib at his expense, if the organizer does not provide one.
For Italians only
The This obviously applies to Italian media and not to foreign media. which will follow the Italian races. For them, it is sufficient the professional card and the subscription of an insurance that covers them during workMost Italian operators also have their own insurance – either individual or provided by the company they work for – but this doesn't seem to matter to those who have completed the federal training process.
The matter was brought to the attention of the UCI. Following the report by the board of AIJC, the International Association of Cycling Journalists, Aigle made it known that they were unaware of the situation.
«We fully understand your concerns – reads the response from the UCI press office – and we regret to hear of the obstacles that journalists and photographers are currently facing in Italy». In a second email they added that they had contacted the FCI for clarification.
Basically, it would be enough to request it at the time of accreditation a professional card and the insurance informationIt would be very simple: it would have been enough to involve the media and ask for an indication. If the point is the possibility for the UCI to impose administrative sanctions, it will be up to the UCI to find a way to do it.
The risk of gagging
How much fuss do they make over a membership card? Not exactly, because There is a twist that few people think about, but which actually constitutes the real crux of the matter.
The moment you become a member of the FCI, you are obviously required to observe a series of ethical rulesIf a member launches into a series of criticisms against the Federation, which the Federation may deem damaging to its image, it is foreseen the opening of disciplinary proceedingsThis could result in a series of sanctions, including being banned from competition venues.
However, if the member is a journalist who, in the exercise of his duties, deems it necessary to criticize the federal government's actions, then the matter becomes complicated and the above procedure becomes a gag.
The duties of a journalist
It has already happened and it could have happened dozens of times.To the journalists of the Gazzetta dello Sport, during the period of the famous 8 questions to President Dagnoni regarding the story of the Irish funds. And I probably would have risked a few reprimands too. When we talked about budgets, after the mistakes of the last Italian championship and even after this editorial.
Professional journalists and publicists, the real ones, must submit to the Press Law and the Testor Only one of the Journalist's DutiesThe others would simply be denied accreditation for the races. The paradox, however, is that currently it would be possible to deny accreditation to a professional without that card, thus effectively dismissing someone who has one and has no other qualifications.
The wave of tiles
If we then wanted to see something else, but we don't think it's the case or we hope it isn't, This rule applies to all FCI events in the calendarRaces for professionals, elite, U23, juniors, students, beginners, and very young riders. Men and women. Road, mountain bike, cyclocross, and maybe even track. If everyone who wants to take photos, film, or interviews were to sign up, What a nice wave of federal fees (plus the 30 euros of the course) would arrive in the coffers?
This is another hypothesis that some have discussed, but in our opinion, it's not the most likely. We're left with the feeling, as already mentioned, of a clumsy attempt to manage the situation. addressed without the expertise that such a topic should instead requireIt's up to the UCI to find a shared solution at the global level. To avoid us always being the ones who had the intelligent perception of the problem and instead of solving it, they only made it even more complicated.
