CALLUM Skinner came to Glasgow to lend his support to one announcement yesterday then tantalisingly dangled the prospect of two more to follow.
The one that was confirmed was good news for both cycling and for Scotland as Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) President David Lappartient revealed that the sport’s 13 world championships, currently scattered across different countries at different times, would be brought together for one “mega” combined championship starting from 2023 in Glasgow.
With Scotland gaining a reputation as a hospitable and versatile host of sporting events – the European indoor athletics championships will be in town next month – Skinner felt this was another feather in the country’s cap.
“The world championships is a fantastic event – with that iconic rainbow jersey for all the different winners – so to have it all in the one city, in the one country, makes a lot of sense,” he said.
“I was inspired to take up cycling by watching Chris Hoy on TV and being captivated by his success, as well as the uniqueness of the venues – it reminded me of a circus Wall of Death! As a kid who was speed obsessed it seemed the perfect way to get my fix.
“So hopefully there will be other kids out there now who might get caught up in the buzz around this event the way I did back then.”
It remains to be seen whether Skinner is still cycling competitively by the time that event rolls around. He is currently on a sabbatical from the velodrome, spending his days trying to learn from others. This week he was the invited guest of Gregor Townsend as his Scotland rugby squad finetuned their preparations ahead of this afternoon’s Six Nations contest against Ireland.
Skinner was noticeably coy on what the future holds for him but said more would be revealed in the weeks ahead.
“What’s happening with me? I’m keeping my cards close to my chest,” Skinner grinned.
“But part of the idea behind the break was just a chance to go out and get some fresh ideas. It’s something Jason Kenny and Victoria Pendleton did before. They took a year out and then came back to get really set for going to an Olympics. I was fortunate to spend time at the beginning of the week with the Scottish rugby team. I enjoyed being with the guys as they’ve got such a great team atmosphere. The boys have got some real momentum behind them, a real energy and a buzz. That was a real privilege to be part of their preparations this week.
“So that’s what I’ve been doing, seeing if I can refresh that Manchester environment a little bit. If you’re going to a second or third Olympic Games, you need something new to keep having that edge as the young ones are coming up fast.”
His next announcement, he reveals, will centre on the need for athletes to have more of a voice. Skinner has been one of the most fervent critics of WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] and their handling of Russia, in particular the role played by president and fellow Scot, Sir Craig Reedie.
It is why he is backing the candidature of vice-president Linda Helleland to succeed Reedie later this year.
“Linda came to the White House with us for the emergency summit and she cherishes the athlete’s voice in a way that is so unique,” the Glasgow-born 26-year-old commented.
“In anti-doping matters, we’re the biggest and most vulnerable stakeholders and our voices should be heard. But Thomas Bach [International Olympic Committee president], Craig Reedie, and Olivier Niggli [WADA director general] don’t want to hear it.
“Craig and I have had our professional differences. But our mantra on the whole Russia scandal has been that it’s such a clear-cut prolific case that if we can’t get our act together on this one how can we go after the more marginal cases? We need a strong WADA that takes these issues seriously.
“The Russian thing with WADA is a bit like Brexit isn’t it? Everyone needs to compromise and nobody is really happy. What’s been really disappointing throughout the whole WADA saga is that athlete voices have been treated with disdain. And that’s very damaging.”
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