Israel–Premier Tech was barred from the Giro dell’Emilia due to protest threats, highlighting rising efforts to sideline Israeli athletes worldwide.
Israel-Premier Tech, Israel’s professional cycling team, has been barred from competing in next week’s Giro dell’Emilia in Bologna after race organizers cited “public safety concerns” stemming from threats of anti-Israel protests.
The decision comes less than a month after the team was repeatedly targeted at the Vuelta a España in Spain, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted stages and even forced the abandonment of the final leg. Italian organizers said they feared similar unrest, particularly in Bologna, a city with a strong activist tradition and where local groups had already announced plans to protest.
Race director Adriano Amici said the decision was taken “for the safety of all athletes, technical staff, and spectators,” adding that the nature of the city-center course made it particularly vulnerable to disruption.
Israel–Premier Tech expressed its disappointment in a statement: “We were informed that our invitation to the Giro dell’Emilia has been withdrawn due to security concerns linked to planned protests. We find it extremely regrettable that threats of violence have disrupted our sport. While we understand the challenges facing organizers, we view this as an unacceptable step that rewards intimidation and punishes athletes who only want to compete.”
The team, backed by Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams and featuring international stars including four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, has increasingly found itself at the center of political demonstrations. At the Vuelta, riders were even asked to remove “Israel” from their jerseys under pressure from organizers – a move widely criticized in Israel as a capitulation to threats and antisemitism.
Rising wave of protests agaisnt Israel in sports
This latest cancellation underscores a broader campaign to isolate Israeli athletes in the international arena. In recent weeks, calls for boycotts have intensified following a controversial United Nations report accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza – allegations Israel firmly rejects, pointing to its right of self-defense after the Hamas-led massacre of October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage.
The boycott pressure has gone far beyond cycling. UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, is now considering an emergency vote on whether to suspend Israel from international competition. Several national federations are lobbying for a ban, and Israeli athletes across sports have reported a surge in hostility, ranging from refusals to compete against them to disruptive demonstrations.
Despite this climate, the world cycling body UCI reaffirmed on Friday that Israeli athletes remain welcome in its competitions, rejecting calls for a ban. But the growing reality is that threats of violence, rather than sporting merit, are increasingly dictating where Israel’s teams can and cannot compete.
“Sport should be a place where athletes of all nations can meet in fair competition,” the Israel–Premier Tech statement added. “Instead, political extremism is seeping into cycling, and once again, Israelis are singled out. We will continue to race proudly under our flag and will not allow those who seek to erase Israel from international sport to succeed.”
For Israel’s riders, the dream of competing on the roads of Bologna has been derailed not by rivals on two wheels but by a wave of intimidation that threatens the very foundations of fair play in international sport.
