As the Tour de France is set to begin this weekend, the participation of two teams linked to Gulf states - the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain - is coming under the microscope.
The favourite to win this year’s tour is the undisputed best male bike rider in the world, Tadej Pogacar, from Slovenia.
He has won four of the last six Tour de France titles, all of which were for UAE Team Emirates XRG (previously known as UAE Team Emirates).
The team has sat at the top of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) world ranking since 2023, and is the dominant force in sport.
As well as the Tour de France, its star rider Pogacar has also won the Giro d’Italia, two World Championship Road Races and a string of one-day classics.
