Conflict over unauthorised colours on iconic rainbow tunic
The International Cycling Union (UCI) has already issued several warnings to the Telenet-Fidea team of World cyclocross champion Zdenek Stybar, according to sport.be. The dispute centres around the logos of main sponsor Telenet, and the fact that their yellow background colour is not premitted on the rainbow jersey.
“For the sponsor logos on the jersey, only the colors grey, black and navy blue are allowed,” team manager Hans Van Kasteren complained to the Belgian media. “This is not good, if the sponsor has a yellow logo.”
In addition to the Telenet logos, the team has also had problems with the logos of a number of its minor sponsors, all of whom would like to be included. Although Stybar usually wears long sleeves this area is not to be used by smaller sponsors; even the special podium jersey that the team has had made, which contains these sponsors’ logos has been banned.
“I will not give up here”, said Van Kasteren bitterly. “I’m putting a lawyer on the case. It’s still the sponsors who pay us, huh? Maybe later they will offer a reward to the riders who don’t become the World champion.”
Stybar himself is remaining calm about the situation.
“It’s a shame that there has been so much talk about this,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. “I don’t think anyone exactly knows the ins and outs of this, even the UCI. Hans knows what to do, so it will be okay.”