RICK: Tady sem trochu geminijoval a rika ze by teoreticky mohli odmitnout team.
Yes, the organizer of the Tour de France, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), can and does refuse entry to teams.
The selection process for the Tour de France is a combination of automatic invitations and "wildcard" invitations.
* Automatic Invitations: All UCI WorldTour teams typically receive an automatic invitation. Additionally, the top-ranked UCI ProTeams from the previous season also secure a guaranteed spot.
* Wildcard Invitations: ASO has the discretion to award wildcard slots to other ProTeams. This allows them to invite teams that they believe will add to the race, such as strong local teams or squads with popular riders who are not otherwise guaranteed a spot.
ASO has a significant amount of discretion in the selection process, and they can refuse a team's entry even if they have a UCI WorldTour status if there are concerns about the team or its riders. A notable example of this was when ASO stated it would refuse to let Chris Froome race in the 2018 Tour de France if his doping case at the time was not resolved, citing clauses in its rules about safeguarding the image of the race. This highlights that ASO's power extends beyond simply adhering to the UCI rankings.