Published : 19 Sep 2026, 08:25 PM
Updated : 19 Sep 2026, 08:25 PM
Ladislav Demko, former head of performance at the UCI Women's Continental Hess Team, has been banned from all cycling-related activity for 10 years by the International Cycling Union's ethics commission for multiple breaches of its ethics code.
The Ethics Commission, which is independent of the UCI, found that Demko had "fallen short" of the standards required under the ethics code and had abused his position of power.
The commission said it opened an investigation following complaints from former staff members at Hess Cycling Team and a rider who had been in a consensual relationship with Demko while he was her coach, over allegations of harassment and psychological abuse.
Demko had subjected the rider to isolation, humiliation, intimidation and infantilisation, the commission said in a statement.
Demko rejected the allegations, saying they stemmed from frustrations among two staff members who had been dismissed by the team.
"I am not willing to ruin my savings and have decided to walk away from the world of professional cycling for good," Demko told Reuters on Saturday.
The Slovak said he had not yet exercised his right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but intended to seek to have the case reopened in the future.
He was also ordered to pay a fine and the costs of the legal proceedings. The amounts were not disclosed.
Hess Cycling Team was founded in 2023, but owner Rolf Hess, a Swiss businessman, announced on Instagram in August 2025 that the team had ceased operations for financial reasons.
