Brian Cookson, the president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), has warned that an independent report into historic doping in the sport will make for "uncomfortable reading" when it is published later this month.

In the wake of a string of high-profile scandals - not least that involving Lance Armstrong - Cookson established a panel in 2014 to look into the problem of drug use in the sport.

The three-man panel is due to publish its findings in the coming weeks, and speaking at the UCI Track World Championships in France on Saturday, Cookson gave a hint as to what they may say.

"When you open a can of worms, you find a lot of worms," he told reporters. "There'll be a lot of uncomfortable reading. 

"I think we should all prepare ourselves for that."

Cookson also vowed that their will be no censorship of the details of the report of the type that caused controversy for football's governing body, FIFA, amid their own independent investigation into allegations of World Cup bidding corruption.

"We will publish the report that is given to us," Cookson added. "Unless there are legal reasons why names can't be named, then contributions will be named.

"We're not going to get into a FIFA-type situation of arguing about the report."