The Ladislav Demko ban announced by the UCI will keep the former Hess Cycling staff member out of sanctioned cycling for 10 years.
The UCI Ethics Commission issued the sanction after investigating allegations linked to Demko’s role as head of performance at Hess Cycling. The British women’s continental team closed last summer after a troubled year.
Demko, a 52-year-old Slovakian coach, worked with the squad in 2024. The case began after a former rider he coached raised allegations of harassment and psychological abuse. The rider also had a personal relationship with him.
Several Hess Cycling staff members also filed complaints alleging professional misconduct by Demko.
Ladislav Demko ban follows formal investigation
The UCI said the commission gathered documents, heard complainants, and used an independent trauma-informed investigator. It also said Demko received several chances to submit written comments.
According to the UCI, he was also offered the opportunity to be heard and to call witnesses during the proceedings.
The commission found that his conduct toward riders and staff breached required standards under the UCI Code of Ethics. It cited aggressive and disrespectful language in the working environment.
The commission also referred to unsafe and intimidating driving of team vehicles. It identified demeaning comments about the physical appearance of staff and riders.
The UCI said those actions showed an abuse of Demko’s position within the team.
The commission also addressed his conduct toward the athlete he coached. It found acts of isolation, including requests that she cut contact with trusted people.
The UCI said Demko dictated the content of messages to those people. It also cited a threatening message addressed to the rider’s psychologist.
The commission found humiliation through public denigration on social media. It also cited intimidation, including threats to disclose personal information.
It said one threat was directed against a person the rider trusted. The commission also described the conduct as involving infantilization.
The UCI said those actions continued after the personal relationship ended. The commission concluded they reduced the rider’s identity, dignity, and self-worth.
Ethics breaches and appeal route
The commission found Demko breached Article 5 of the UCI Code of Ethics, covering general principles. It also found a breach of Article 6.4, covering protection of physical and mental integrity.
The commission read those articles together with Article 2.1 of Appendix 1, which covers psychological abuse. It also retained Article 2.6, concerning minors and other dependent persons, as an aggravating circumstance.
The UCI said the consensual relationship between two adults did not remove the conduct from ethics rules. It cited the coaching relationship and the rider’s dependent position.
The sanction bars Demko from any cycling-related activity organized by the UCI or its affiliates for 10 years. The commission also imposed a fine and ordered him to pay the costs of the proceedings.
Demko can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The case is among the more severe recent disciplinary outcomes in cycling’s safeguarding system. The UCI said harassment and abuse remain incompatible with cycling’s values.
The governing body also pointed to UCI SpeakUp, its confidential reporting platform for safeguarding and ethics concerns.
Hess Cycling folded last summer, citing budgetary pressures. The team’s final season also included accusations of missed rider payments and a fraud investigation into the owner’s business.
Demko has since been linked with amateur training camp vacation packages in Mallorca, Spain.