Laura Smulders and Sylvain André elected to the UCI Athletes’ Commission
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Photos: Fifteen BMX
Teammates, Laura Smulders and Sylvain André, have overwhelmingly been elected to the UCI Athletes’ Commission and are now, in essence, the voice of the BMX Racing riders in the UCI. The vote took place last weekend at the 2025 UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Laura was the previous BMX Racing rider representative on the Commission, and has been re-elected with 73.3% of the vote. Canada’s James Palmer, now retired from racing, was the other previous rider rep. He will be replace by Sylvain, who got a massive 76.7% of the vote this time. Each term on the UCI Athletes’ Commission lasts four years.
The riders on the commission have an advisory role, which enables it to submit proposals to the UCI Management Committee … we’re intrigued to see what Laura and Sylvain first pot of call on the commission will be.
See below for the UCI Press Release.
UCI Press Release: 3 August 2025
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that Laura Smulders (NED) and Sylvain André (FRA) have been elected to represent BMX Racing athletes on the UCI Athletes’ Commission following a vote held during the UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 28 July to 3 August.
Laura Smulders (re-elected) and Sylvain André were chosen from among five candidates – two women and three men – by the Elite and Under 23 athletes registered for the event.
Laura Smulders received 73.3% of the votes cast for women, while Sylvain André obtained 76.7% of the votes cast for the male candidates. The voting participation rate was 44.10%.
The members of the UCI Athletes’ Commission are elected for a four-year term. This term will begin at the 2025 UCI Congress in Kigali (Rwanda) – or on the date of their election for members elected after the UCI Congress – and will end at the 2029 UCI Congress in Copenhagen (Denmark).
This election is part of the renewal of the UCI Athletes’ Commission for the 2025-2029 period. Its new members are elected by their peers at the 2025 UCI World Championships in the various cycling disciplines.
Since 2017, the commission has been composed of 20 members, with each discipline or speciality – cyclo-cross, para cycling, BMX Racing, mountain bike cross-country, mountain bike downhill, trials, BMX Freestyle Park, road, track and indoor cycling – represented by two riders, one male and one female.
The President of the UCI Athletes’ Commission, a position currently held by Katerina Nash (CZE), is elected by the members of the commission and sits for a four-year term on the UCI Management Committee, the Federation’s executive body, which operates under the authority of the Congress.
The commission has an advisory role, which enables it to submit proposals to the UCI Management Committee. Its main areas of activity are the improvement of conditions for the practice of high-level sport, athlete protection in all its forms, the promotion of ethics and sportsmanship, the establishment of a direct link with the Federation’s decision-making bodies, the provision of information for athletes about significant regulatory changes and guidance for athletes after their retirement from sport.
See full UCI press release HERE