AIS is out of step with the rest of the world, says team director Michael Drapac before 2014 Santos Tour Down Under

TEAM director Michael Drapac has slammed the AIS, claiming the government-funded elite sports hub lacks integrity.

MICHAEL Drapac, director of Drapac Pro Cycling, has slammed the Australian Institute of Sport, claiming the government-funded elite sports hub lacks integrity.

Speaking at his cycling team's season launch in Adelaide on Monday, Drapac declared the AIS mantra was not ideal for young Australians.

He was publicly criticised by AIS boss Matt Favier last week after disagreeing with AIS principles.

"I'm still shocked and still appalled by the programs in the AIS,'' Drapac said.

"They have clearly lost their way.

"What's happened with the AIS they are clearly out of synch with what the rest of the world is doing.

"The idea that (AIS) are compassionately ruthless when it comes to sport ... one negates the other.

"I don't believe that anyone in the Australian government can possible support a statement and philosophy, if it's called a philosophy, that we are compassionately ruthless at developing young athletes."

Cycling receives more than $7 million of federal government funding annually for its AIS programs.

Drapac - a successful property developer and investor - has ploughed about $10 million into the cycling team in a decade of existence.

Drapac also believes sport too often is using athletes' ability only for financial gain with many being exploited.

"If they (athletes) don't have a medal around their neck they're yesterday's news,'' he said.

"So what does it mean ... it means we have to give value, it's much more than a medal around the neck.

"We need to have values, we need to stop being seduced by this gold medal.

"You never subordinate your value and your ethics you must maintain them."

Drapac first became emotional when he thanked his family during a speech which lasted nearly 20 minutes at the Mercury Cinema in the west end of Adelaide before making a heartfelt plea.

After the team's 17-man season team was announced before the team's seven man Santos Tour Down Under roster was put on show, Drapac declared cyclists also needed life skills to be complete people rather than just the winning-is-everything mentality.

"Don't tell me that the richest business in the world had violated every human ethic and every environmental ethic is a success, they are a failure,'' Drapac said.

"They fail, the man with the amount of most gold medals who is unethical ... he fails.

"So our metrics must change."

Drapac will make its debut at the Santos Tour Down Under stage race after the team was invited as a wildcard entry.

Drapac - a UCI ProContinental team - and UniSA are the only two teams not to have UCI WorldTour status at the tour.