Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar says he decided not to compete in Paris 2024 because the Slovenian Olympic Committee (OKS) did not choose his girlfriend, Urska Zigart.
In a statement released on Monday by the OKS, Pogacar—who secured his third Tour title on Sunday—cited “extreme fatigue” as the reason for his withdrawal from the Games.
On Tuesday, the champion of both the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia participated in a criterium race in the Netherlands.
Regarding Zigart’s exclusion, Pogacar stated before the race: “It wasn’t the primary cause, but it undoubtedly didn’t help.
“In my opinion, she merits her place. She has won both the road race and time trial national titles.
Urska Pintar, 38, and Eugenia Bujak, 35, have been chosen by Slovenia to compete in the women’s road race on August 4.
Paris 2024: Slovenian cyclist withdraws from Olympics because his girlfriend was not selected
Six-time Slovenian champion Bujak did not compete at this year’s national championships, where Pintar, the national champion in 2023, finished second, 10 minutes and 47 seconds behind 27-year-old Zigart.
“[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.”
