Israel Premier Tech has been barred from competing in the prestigious Giro dell’Emilia race in Italy, with organizers citing “public safety” concerns.
Adriano Amici, president of the organizing company, announced the decision Saturday, telling AFP: “We were forced to make a difficult choice: the team will not line up at the start. The atmosphere is too tense, the risk of disruptions is too high, and we had no other option.” He noted that the race’s final circuit, featuring five climbs, could become a flashpoint for unrest.
1 View gallery
Pro-Palestinian Protesters try to storm the course and disrupt Israel Premier Tech riders during stage 11 of the Vuelta
(Photo: AP/ Miguel Oses)
The move came after Bologna’s city council, led by the Democratic Party, urged the exclusion of the Israeli squad over what it called “serious war crimes committed by Israel’s government in Gaza.” The city’s deputy mayor for sports, Roberta Li Calzi, praised the step, saying: “The presence of a team linked to the Israeli government is problematic in light of what is happening in Gaza.”
During Spain’s Vuelta in August, anti-Israel protests targeting the team forced organizers to shorten four stages, including the final one in Madrid, after large demonstrations disrupted the race.
AFP also reported that the Israeli team, owned by billionaire Sylvan Adams, could face future demands to change its name and remove the word “Israel.”
The Giro dell’Emilia, a 199-kilometer race from Mirandola to Bologna, is part of the ProSeries circuit—the sport’s second tier—and traditionally serves as a warm-up for the Giro di Lombardia, the final “monument” race of the cycling season, scheduled for Oct. 11 in northern Italy.