Cycling team to drop Israel from name from 2026 season

The Israel-Premier Tech team are to drop Israel from their name from next season.

The team were at the centre of several disruptions during last month's Vuelta a Espana in Spain, as pro-Palestinian protests were staged over Israel's war in Gaza.

The team said the past few months had been "an incredibly difficult period" but "recognised the need for change".

They added: "With steadfast commitment to our riders, staff, and valued partners, the decision has been made to rename and re-brand the team, moving away from its current Israeli identity.

"In sport, progress often requires sacrifice, and this step is essential to securing the future of the team."

The Israel-Premier Tech squad, whose five British riders include four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome, is Israeli-registered and owned by Israeli-Canadian property billionaire Sylvan Adams.

It was founded as Israel Cycling Academy in 2014 and has been sponsored by Canadian company Premier Tech since 2022.

Premier Tech said last month it expected Israel to be dropped from the name from the 2026 season.

Adams is to step back from his day-to-day role as part of the changes and will no longer speak on the team's behalf.

The 66-year-old is closely associated with Benjamin Netanyahu's government and has previously told BBC Sport he is a "self-appointed ambassador to Israel".

There were several protests and disruptions during the three-week Vuelta, aimed mainly at the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team, who stopped using their full name on their jerseys midway through the race.

The final stage, around Madrid, was cancelled following pro-Palestinian protests, which caused scuffles with riders and the course to be blocked in several places.

The team had their invitation to last weekend's second-tier Giro dell'Emilia race in Italy revoked over fears the race could have been affected by similar disruptions.

President of the professional cyclists' union Adam Hansen has said cutting races short may be the only way to deter protests.

World cycling governing body the UCI said it will continue to welcome Israeli athletes at its competitions despite calls for sporting boycotts.

After the United Nations commission of inquiry formally declared Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza - a claim Israel denies - there have been growing calls for the country to be suspended from international football competition.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 67,139 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Matt Warwick - cycling reporter

This is a painful admission by the team and its owner Sylvan Adams that the presence of Brand Israel is causing unease in places such as elite sport.

Adams' involvement in Israeli politics is well known, if not officially assigned. He supported Benjamin Netanyahu's government on a trip to the White House to oversee the signing of an accord between Emirati nations and Israel during President Trump's first term in 2020.

The team began largely thanks to Adams' passion for cycling, and belief that the sport can bring communities closer together in parts of the world away from its European heartland. Indeed, a certain amount of new infrastructure at the recent Road World Championships in Rwanda came from Israeli investment.

But despite a few Grand Tour stage wins here and there, Israel-Premier Tech have found the pace hard going at times at the elite level, and can ill afford to lose sponsors such as Canada's pesticide specialists Premier Tech.

And, as a multi-billionaire businessman, Adams knows corporate image is everything.