More than 700 organisations and individuals have signed an open letter to British Cycling calling for the governing body to “renounce” its sponsorship deal with oil giant Shell.
British Cycling said the eight-year deal would bring “wide-ranging support and investment” to the sport.
However, after announcing the deal on Monday, it has been accused of getting involved with “greenwashing”.
An open letter added it was an “irreconcilable conflict of interest”.
“All sports, including cycling, are vulnerable to the increasingly extreme weather associated with global heating,” read the letter, which was sent to British Cycling on Tuesday.
“More than that, athletes and especially cyclists are vulnerable to the lethal air pollution that comes from the burning of fossil fuels, and the estimated 8.7 million premature deaths that result each year globally from that pollution.
“We believe that it is in the urgent interests of the sport of cycling, and cyclists everywhere rapidly to transition away from fossil fuel use. Cycling too is in a unique position to aid that shift.
The letter asked British Cycling to “consider immediate action to renounce sponsorship from Shell”, calling the deal with the “oil company” an “irreconcilable conflict of interest”.
In a response, Shell said: “We agree that society needs to take urgent action on climate change. Shell has a clear target to become a net-zero emissions business by 2050.
“This, and our short and medium-term carbon intensity targets, are fully consistent with the more ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement: to limit the increase in the average global temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”
The deal with Shell – which comes after British Cycling’s partnership with bank HSBC finished at the end of 2021 – includes initiatives to make cycling more accessible for disabled people and target a ‘net-zero’ status.
British Cycling chief executive Brian Facer said: “We want to support our elite riders and help our organisation and sport take important steps towards net-zero – things we know our members are incredibly passionate about.”
However, the decision has been criticised in the open letter for allowing the “good name” of British Cycling to “become a billboard for an oil company”, which the letter claims “has for decades lobbied against environmental action and sowed doubt and confusion around climate science”.
The letter, signed by a variety of organisations and individuals including members of British Cycling, cycling clubs, cycling media and academics, calls on British Cycling to “demonstrate that you reject greenwashing and sportwashing by major polluters” by withdrawing from the deal.
Shell added: “We are also deeply committed to the UK and are planning to invest between £20-25bn in the UK energy system over the next decade – more than 75% of this will be in low and zero-carbon products and services, including offshore wind, hydrogen and electric mobility.”
BBC Sport has contacted British Cycling for comment about the letter.
