Israel-Premier Tech will not take part in Saturday’s Giro dell’Emilia after race organisers ruled the team out over security concerns, race director Adriano Amici told Reuters.
“To ensure the safety of all riders, technical staff and supporters, the team cannot participate,” Amici said, adding he had made the call “because of recent events and given the course of the final.” He told Reuters he regretted the decision.
Background
The Israeli team was the target of pro-Palestinian protesters at the Vuelta a España earlier this month, when several stages, including the last one, were interrupted. Some 100,000 pro-Palestinian protesters were on hand at the finish line in Madrid, according to AFP. Israel-Premier Tech has participated in the Giro dell’Emilia for the last four editions.
“We deeply regret that threats of violence have disrupted our sport,” a spokesman for the team told Reuters. “We wish the organizers a successful race.”
The decision comes amid a broader debate over the participation of Israeli athletes following a United Nations commission of inquiry last week that “found Israel is committing genocide, a legal term for genocide, in the Gaza Strip.” UN experts called on sports federations to bar Israel from tournaments and competitions, as is now happening with Russia and Belarus.
David Lappartient, president of the international cycling federation UCI and a member of the International Olympic Committee, said the UCI continues to welcome Israeli teams and cyclists, while Russian and Belarusian teams are not welcome. “The Russian Olympic Committee was suspended because it included the four oblasts (provinces, ed.) belonging to Ukraine in its statutes AND because Russia attacked Ukraine during the Olympic truce, which was unanimously approved by the UN,” Lappartient said. “We believe that no athlete should be deprived of the opportunity to compete,” he added. “Look at the Paris Olympics. All countries were present. Russian athletes competed under a neutral flag, but were there.”
The Giro dell’Emilia will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4. The race begins in Mirandola and finishes 199 kilometres later on the San Luca in Bologna.
