“Any other course of action sets a dangerous precedent”: Israel – Premier Tech insist team will not quit Vuelta a España over Gaza protests – but race organisers hope “decisions will be made quickly”

Following a day of chaos, confusion, and anger in Bilbao, Israel-Premier Tech has insisted it will continue racing at the Vuelta a España despite the ongoing protests against the team’s participation, claiming that “any other course of action sets a dangerous precedent in the sport of cycling”.

The UCI has also condemned the demonstrations that prompted the Vuelta organisers to scrap the finish of stage 11 in Bilbao, the governing body issuing a statement affirming that cycling “should under no circumstances be used as a tool for punishment”.

However, despite the squad’s seemingly intransigent stance on the issue, Israel-Premier Tech’s continued involvement at the Vuelta now appears increasingly precarious.

Following Wednesday’s aborted stage, and faced with the prospect of further protests, the race’s technical director called on the UCI to “quickly” make a decision on Israel-Premier Tech’s future at the Vuelta, while urging the team itself to “reflect” on its presence at the race and its impact on the safety of the peloton.

In a statement issued on Wednesday night, Israel-Premier Tech, while upholding “everyone’s right to protest”, claimed that the behaviour of the Bilbao protesters, which they said compromised the safety of the peloton, was “not only dangerous, but counterproductive to their cause”.

“Israel-Premier Tech is a professional cycling team,” the squad said in its statement.

“As such, the team remains committed to racing on at the Vuelta a España. Any other course of action sets a dangerous precedent in the sport of cycling not only for Israel-Premier Tech, but for all teams.

“Israel-Premier Tech has repeatedly expressed its respect for everyone’s right to protest, as long as those protests remain peaceful and do not compromise the safety of the peloton.

“The Vuelta a España race organisation and police are doing everything in their power to create a safe environment and, for that, the team is especially grateful.

“However, the behaviour of protestors in Bilbao today was not only dangerous, but counterproductive to their cause and deprived the Basque cycling fans, some of the best cycling fans in the world, of the stage finish they deserved.

“We thank the race organisers and UCI for their continued support and cooperation, as well as the teams and riders that have expressed their support both publicly and privately and, of course, our fans.”

Since the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza, Israel-Premier Tech – arguably one of the country’s most prominent sporting symbols, its name emblazoned across the riders’ jerseys – has increasingly been the focal point of demonstrations protesting its ongoing participation at cycling’s biggest races.

There were anti-Israel protests at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this year, both involving activists running onto the road in front of the riders, with the group behind the Tour protest accusing the race of being “complicit in genocide” and “helping restore the image of the Israeli colonial regime” by allowing Israel-Premier Tech to participate.

Former Israel-Premier Tech riders Alessandro De Marchi and Jakob Fuglsang have also publicly expressed their relief at no longer representing the team and wearing its logo in public.

Tensions have ratcheted up in recent weeks, especially at the Vuelta, where roadside protests, course invasions, and anti-Israel graffiti have become an almost daily occurrence.

During the race’s team time trial on stage five, a group of protesters blocked the road as Israel-Premier Tech approached, forcing the team to slow and some riders to come to a halt. And on Tuesday’s stage 10, anti-Israel demonstrators entered the course, causing Intermarché-Wanty’s Simone Petilli to crash.

Things came to a head yesterday in the Basque Country – a hotbed of pro-Palestine sentiment – as riders held a pre-stage meeting with race organisers to discuss the safety implications of the ongoing protests.

There have also been reports that several teams have stated their preference for Israel-Premier Tech to withdraw from the Vuelta, while the team’s riders have allegedly been the subject of abuse both from within the peloton and on group chats.

Before stage 11 had even officially started, a course invasion blocked the road, while two protesters later stood in front of the riders on the Alto del Vivero, forcing Tom Pidcock to duck under their banner stretched across the road.

Finally, rowdy scenes on the finishing straight in Bilbao – where items were thrown at the riders and activists attempted to push through the barriers, clashing with police and race officials – prompted the Vuelta organisers to cancel the planned stage finish in the city.

🔴Momentos de tensión en el desarrollo la etapa 11 de #LaVuelta25 en Bilbao

Los manifestantes en favor de Palestina intentan interrumpir la competición https://t.co/YG2YEjFBeX pic.twitter.com/9nYgnmOVVG

— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) September 3, 2025

No winner was declared and the times for the general classification were taken from 3km out, as riders were diverted to their team buses.

And while Israel-Premier Tech remain adamant that, despite yesterday’s chaotic scenes in Bilbao, that they will not leave the Vuelta early, things don’t appear quite so clear cut for the race’s management.

Speaking after the stage to reporters, the Vuelta’s technical director Kiko García said he hopes a decision on IPT’s future in the race will be made “quickly”, though he noted that decision must come from the UCI or the team itself, and not the race.

Thanks to their position as one of the top two second-tier ProTeams, Israel-Premier Tech are automatically invited to the Vuelta, with García pointing out that any move to ban the squad could lead to the Vuelta losing its UCI licence.

“I would like to think that in this situation a lot of people will react, we’ve been in contact with the UCI and we told them before the race came to Spain, we knew that some members of the public here were very involved in the protests,” he told reporters.

“So far, there has been no change. We hope that decisions will be made quickly, because time is passing.

“We know that if there are no reactions or there are no changes in any way, then the protests will continue.

“As we’ve said, we have no choice but to follow the rules. The team’s participation is obligatory, and whoever can decide the opposite – that isn’t us. Our duty is to protect the race, of course, the riders, and the teams – and we’re moving on that.”

García continued: “Any decision [to exclude the team] could cause the race to lose its [WorldTour] calendar. I can’’ guarantee it because it’s not in my hands. You have to ask them. We can’t make any decisions in that regard. It’s not in the rules.

“Who can exclude Maccabi Tel Aviv from the EuroLeague Basketball? The one that plays against them, Real Madrid? No, it has to be an international federation. We spoke with the team, I spoke with the manager for hours last night, presenting the situation to him, seeing if they themselves felt the pressure mounting. There’s not much more I can do.

“The Israeli team needs to reflect that its presence here does not facilitate the safety of everyone else. But we cannot make this decision, it is up to them to do so.

“The team has special protection measures, during the race, to get to the stages… Mind you, I understand the protests, they are understandable, and personally, I think they have to be there. But they have to be there without crossing the line into violence. If that were the case, we would be entering something that could be much worse.”

Asked if he believes the UCI will move to exclude the team, García said: “Honestly, I can’t tell you. What I want right now is to take a breath, because it’s been a very difficult day. We need to analyse the situation, breathe, we’ll have meetings and see what happens.”

Meanwhile, in its own statement issued last night, the UCI appeared to suggest that it will not move to withdraw Israel-Premier Tech from the Vuelta – instead criticising the protesters for “punishing” the sport of cycling by causing the stage finish to be abandoned.

“The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) firmly condemns the actions that led to the neutralisation of the 11th stage of La Vuelta Ciclista a España,” the governing body said.

“The UCI reiterates the fundamental importance of the political neutrality of sports organisations within the Olympic Movement, as well as the unifying and pacifying role of sport. Major international sporting events embody a spirit of unity and dialogue, transcending differences and divisions.

“In this sense, the UCI reaffirms its commitment to the political neutrality, independence, and autonomy of sport, in accordance with the founding principles of the Olympic Movement.

“The UCI would also like to reiterate that sport, and cycling in particular, has a role to play in bringing people together and overcoming barriers between them, and should under no circumstances be used as a tool for punishment.

“The UCI expresses its solidarity and support for the teams and their staff as well as the riders, who should be able to practise their profession and pursue their passion in optimal conditions of safety and serenity.”

Unfortunately, regardless of the organisers’ hopes for calmer surroundings as the race retreats from the Basque Country, serenity appears to be the last thing on offer at this year’s Vuelta.

> Chaos follows the Tour: Protests, arrests, and apathy as anti-Israel activist – briefly – disrupts the Tour de France’s shiny façade

And the ongoing protests at the Vuelta not only raise serious questions about Israel-Premier Tech’s presence at the race, but the squad’s future in the sport.

Despite its name and branding, the team is not state owned and is instead funded by Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, though they have received some funding from Israel’s ministry for tourism.

Adams, who attended Donald Trump’s inauguration and encouraged US attacks on Iran in June, has called the team “ambassadors” for Israel and a means of promoting a “more realistic vision” of modern Israel.

Earlier this year, Adams – who was travelling in one of the team cars during yesterday’s stage in Bilbao – said the Israel Defence Force “needs to finish the job” in Gaza, remarks that provoked outrage among human rights groups.

Rumours have swirled in recent months that the team is facing pressure from sponsors to drop ‘Israel’ from its name, though the team has categorically denied this, while Adams appears intent on maintaining his role within the team.

“The team name will remain Israel-Premier Tech,” a spokesperson told Escape Collective this week. “The team has never been asked by sponsors or race organisers to change its name, nor does the team have any plans to change its longstanding identity as an Israeli-based team, open to all.”

However, protesters argue that the team’s place in the peloton endangers riders and that the UCI should follow its precedent of banning Russian and Belarusian squads after the invasion of Ukraine, with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) labelling IPT as “Team Genocide”.

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez, the first senior European leader to accuse Israel of genocide, reinforced that view in an interview with the Guardian published this week, calling the assault on Gaza “one of the darkest episodes of international relations in the 21st century.” He warned that Europe’s “double standards” in its responses to Ukraine and Gaza risked undermining its credibility.