Lotto and Dstny split inevitable: "We quickly realized that they did not want to share power"

Co-sponsor Dstny will no longer be the title sponsor of the cycling team Lotto-Dstny starting next year, as reported by De Tijd on Saturday. There had already been doubts for some time about the continuation of Dstny, which meant that Stéphane Heulot's team had to be somewhat more frugal in negotiations for new contracts.

Daan De Wever, CEO of Dstny, explains on behalf of his company, "The cooperation no longer aligns with the values and norms of the company. The relationship with the Lottery did not go well shortly after the start. We quickly realized that we were in a structure where the Lottery did not want to share power. In every decision - both sporting and policy-related - they wanted to have the final say. The culture, style, and collaboration were not what we had in mind," he stated in De Tijd.

Dstny contributed five to seven million euros in sponsorship money annually and saw riders like Arnaud De Lie, Maxim Van Gils, and Lennert Van Eetvelt break through. Victor Campenaerts recently won a Tour stage in the Lotto-Dstny jersey. "Especially our focus on new young talents, through the Lotto Dstny Development Team, is very close to my heart," said De Wever.

Dstny wants to generate more international visibility

There have been rumors for some time that Dstny might switch to another team. De Wever indicates that the commercial ceiling with Lotto-Dstny has now been reached. 'With a team that focuses on the Belgian market, we have gotten the most out of it. With Dstny, we want to generate much more international visibility. That is not currently possible with the Lotto team.'"

De Tijd also reconstructs how things have been going wrong between the sponsors Lotto and Dstny for quite some time, with the much-discussed Lotto CEO Jannie Haek playing a prominent role. For example, after an interview with the Dstny CEO, he reportedly threatened to withdraw part of the sponsorship money and has had a significant influence on important decisions.

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