It means that he will not require the support of Cycling Ireland, who last month revoked their original decision to nominate him.

It followed protests from vice-president Anthony Moran, who had been the only member of Cycling Ireland's Board to vote against McQuaid, claiming that he had not done enough to deal with the drugs scandals involving Lance Armstrong which have blighted the sport.

It has resulted in an Extraordinary General Meeting in Dublin on June 15 where Ireland's cycling clubs will be able to vote whether to back McQuaid or not.

But under the rules of the UCI, a person can be nominated as President not only by their own national federation, but also that of their country of residence.

McQuaid lives in Switzerland, close to the UCI's headquarters in Aigle.

The closing date for nominations is June 23 and a vote is then due to be taken at the UCI Congress in September at the World Championships in Florence.

So far no-one has come forward to stand against McQuaid.

"I am delighted that the board of Swiss Cycling has endorsed my nomination," said McQuaid.

"I put myself forward to serve another term as UCI President on my record of developing the sport throughout the world and on combating the scourge of doping in cycling.

"I have an ambitious agenda to continue developing the sport. I look forward to presenting myself for election with the support of Swiss Cycling and other federations worldwide.

"I took up residency in Switzerland in 2005 when I assumed the role of UCI President and I have had a long association with Swiss Cycling.

"It has become clear that my nomination in Ireland has been politicised by a small group of people.

"However, I have received a wealth of letters from national federations all around the world urging me to stand for President again and I strongly believe that it should be for our national federations around the world to decide democratically on their next president."

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