Due to budget cuts in the national givernment department of sports Coldeportes in 2016 and with  the Rio Olympic Games in sight, the Ministry of Sports has decided to terminate the contract with the Cycling Team Colombia which has started a series of controversies. 

The general manager of the team, Italian Claudio Corti, officially announced the demise of the team. A few days later, an anonymous rider from the team claimed that there was mistreatment of athletes by team managers in Europe.

However, Rodolfo Torres, the best Team Colombia rider during the season, has just returned to Bogota to thank COLDEPORTES for their support and in a meeting with minister Andrea Botero has denied the bad things that has been said about the team.

Botero gave a press conference to explain his version: "Team Colombia is a team that had been supported for four years when I got in charge of Coldeportes. Initially did not agree, because it seemed like a lot of money, but little by little I was getting fond of this team," said Andres Botero according to El Pais.

The Coldeportes director recalled that "people in Colombia do not know what this team represents internationally, how it represents the Colombian community and what it means to have a distinctly Colombian team in Europe. Already in the Vuelta a Espana we had more people at our bus than the Sky and Movistar. Everyone wanted to know the Colombian cyclists and took pictures of the bus so I think it's the most important advertising project that the country has had abroad in many years."

"When we had problems with the budget next year, we thought of solutions in order to continue with the team. The high-performance budget was not cut  but the costs for the coming year doubled and we send all our athletes to Europe, Asia or wherever to classify or maintain their classifications. That makes it an expensive year so we had to cut programs and one was Team Colombia," said Botero. 

He added that "when we heard about the budget cuts, I tried to engage Colombian companies that have links in Europe or European companies with ties to Colombia. Unfortunately, the companies said they were interested but had allocated budgets for 2016 so we have to wait for 2017."

"So I say that Team Colombia is taking a break. I hope that - if I get support from the private sector - we can continue the project for 2017, when it will be a special season because of the 100th anniversary of the French-Colombian relationship. The Tour de France wants to do events with Colombia, " said Botero. 

Botero also touched on the alleged mistreatment of riders. "All cyclists of any team go to Europe and rent apartments, but the responsibility for their living is not the responsibility of the team. It is up to the riders themselves, with the salary they have, but during races they are taken care of by the team. That has always been so at Team Colombia. We have never made a mistake in that sense.

"Even this week Rodolfo Torres denied the worries. He did not know where it came from, saying that the treatment has been very good. He also knows the team can not provide food and believes that the problem is the cultural change after leaving Colombia to live in Europe where you are alone," Botero SAID.

"I went to visit them many times and they always told me that they would be pleased to continue with the team so I do not understand the words of a cyclist who returned a year ago and made the comments," said Botero.

Finally, Botero addressed the possible unemployment for the 18 riders, saying that "if there are riders at the moment that have offers, it is the cyclists of Team Colombia. 11 or 12 have signed to ride in Europe or Colombia and others are still in negotiations so jobs are not going to be a problem."