Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar has decided to withdraw from the Paris Olympic Games in protest of his girlfriend being excluded by the Slovenian Olympic Committee.
Pogacar, winner of the Giro d’Italia-Tour de France, believes his girlfriend, Urska Zigart, deserves a spot in Team Slovenian since “she is the double national champion in road race and time trial.”
“[Zigart] is the only woman cyclist in Slovenia that has ever achieved the top 10 in week-long World Tour races,” Pogacar told the Dutch broadcaster NOS.
“She did great in the last two years, winning points for Slovenia, and, without her, they wouldn’t have two spots in the road race.”
Urska Pinta and Eugenia Bujak will be representing Slovenia in the women’s road race on August 4.
