Cycling: Cycling was split between its governing body and private organisers today after the ProTour teams said they were leaving the International Cycling Union's (UCI) elite series.
"It has been decided unanimously not to renew the ProTour licences for the 2009 season," the 17 ProTour teams on the Tour de France said in a joint statement.
The UCI has been at odds with the three big Tour organisers - the Tour de France, Vuelta and Giro - since they refused to be part of the ProTour series, which guarantees top teams a place in the prestigious races.
The Astana team, who were not invited to take part in the Tour de France because of their past doping record, are also set to join the move away from the elite series.
"If everybody decides so, I can't imagine Astana will not follow," said the team's chief press officer Philippe Maertens.
Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevere added: "I'm very happy. I hope the UCI will talk to the teams and organisers".
Bouygues Telecom manager Jean-Rene Berneaudea said: "The problem is that we were sold a product (the ProTour) which is not the one we got.
"That's the origin of the conflict. What matters today for my sponsors is a participation in the three big Tours."
UCI president Pat McQuaid said Tour de France organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) wanted to create their own private league outside the governing body's regulations.
"It is obvious they are going to join ASO's dissident federation," said McQuaid.
"We'll deal with that according to the regulations - they face exclusion from the international federation. It is something we are going to discuss."
Vuelta and Giro d'Italia organisers, Unipublic and RCS, also refused to be part of the ProTour, which started in 2005 under the UCI's jurisdiction.
ASO owns the Paris-Nice stage race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Paris-Roubaix classics. RCS also organises the Milan-San Remo classic with Unipublic running the Tour of Murcia.
Other race organisers were worried about their events.
"If it happens, 30 per cent of the teams' staff will be without a job," said Thierry Cazeneuve, organiser of the Dauphine Libere.
"It means that the €150,000 guaranteed to the teams by their sponsors for being in the ProTour will be taken back."
Richard Chassot, the Tour of Romandie director, said: "It's bad news for cycling and teams who will have to reduce their staff.
"If the three big Tour organisers share the cake between them, they have enough races without us. We might as well die."
The situation is reminiscent of that in 1972, when the ATP was created after the top players decided to part with the international tennis federation to run the game themselves.
The difference is the ITF organises the sport's biggest events, the Grand Slams, whereas the UCI only has the world championships, which are far less popular than the Tour de France.