Pat McQuaid's UCI nomination to be reconsidered by Cycling Ireland

Pat McQuaid's nomination by Cycling Ireland to stand for a third term as head of the world governing body is set to be reconsidered.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) under McQuaid has been heavily criticised since details of systematic doping by Lance Armstrong emerged.

Irishman McQuaid initially received a nomination from his own country as he pledged to overhaul the world body.

But Cycling Ireland said on Friday that the matter would be looked at again.

This will take place at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of Cycling Ireland on a date yet to be announced.

A statement from the Irish governing body said: "Cycling Ireland at a meeting of its board on 26 April decided to convene an EGM to consider matters which have arisen following the decision taken at its board meeting on 12 April to nominate Mr Pat McQuaid to stand for the position of UCI president."

Cycling Ireland's secretary Geoff Liffey said details of the EGM would be circulated to member clubs next week.

Reacting to Friday's development, McQuaid put the decision down to a "technicality".

"I understand that Cycling Ireland has now decided to refer the matter to an EGM as a result of a technicality arising from the fact that its president temporarily vacated the chair of the nomination meeting so that he could contribute to the meeting under the chair of the CEO,'' McQuaid said on the UCI website.

"This decision was taken on the basis of legal advice on procedural rules not on the merits of my nomination, which the board has endorsed."

Former Cycling Ireland vice-chairman Anthony Moran resigned from the board of the Irish governing body after it nominated McQuaid for a further UCI term.

There have also been reports that there may be some unhappiness within Irish grassroots cycling about McQuaid's nomination.

The 63-year-old, who has been in the post since 2006, has resisted calls for him to resign, and says his candidacy is based on a record of "combating the scourge of doping in cycling".

Cycling Ireland's initial support came with conditions, including limiting presidents to two four-year terms.

The presidency of the UCI will be decided at the organisation's World Congress in September.

The UCI stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles, won in successive years from 1999 to 2005, in October 2012 after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) published a 1,000-page report into what it called "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

After Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis testified against their former team-mate to Usada, McQuaid called the pair "scumbags", while Hamilton called on the Irishman to step down.

Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond called for McQuaid to resign following accusations that the UCI covered up a positive test from Armstrong for the banned blood booster EPO at the 2001 Tour de Suisse.

American LeMond said in December that he would be willing to run for the UCI presidency.