From cycling races in Spain to basketball arenas in Poland, the fallout from the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza is increasingly spilling into sports and cultural life across Europe.

Protests and boycotts are mounting, echoing the measures once deployed against Apartheid-era South Africa and, more recently, Russia after the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

These developments forced an Israeli professional cycling team to drop the word “Israel” from its name and distance itself from its Israeli identity following a wave of pro-Palestine protests at international sporting events.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team announced a series of measures aimed at separating the team from its official Israeli affiliation.

“Among these measures, the team will change its name and remove the word ‘Israel’ from it,” the authority reported.

The team’s founder, Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, also claimed that he would suspend his daily involvement with the organization.

The broadcaster noted that the decision came after widespread pro-Palestine demonstrations during the prestigious Vuelta a Espana race and the subsequent cancellation of the team’s participation in several major competitions in Italy.

Wider context

In September, Spain's foreign minister voiced support for excluding the Israeli team Israel-Premier Tech from the 2025 Vuelta a España, Spain's annual road cycling race, as mounting pro-Palestine demonstrations mirror global outrage over the Gaza genocide.

The controversy escalated after protesters forced organizers to neutralize stage 11 in Bilbao, cutting the race short before the finish. Earlier, activists blocked the team from competing in the stage 5 time trial in Figueres. Stage 13 also saw a brief interruption before police restored order. Vuelta technical director Kiko García warned that the Israeli team's continued participation risked further turmoil, saying, "Either a voluntary withdrawal by the team or intervention from the UCI" was needed to protect the race.

Political voices in Spain have amplified the call. Left-wing party Izquierda Unida demanded the team's exclusion during the first week, citing "Israel's" actions in Gaza. The protests have coincided with Spain's broader foreign policy realignment. In May 2025, Madrid urged the international community to impose sanctions and embargoes on "Israel", noting that more than 64,000 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza.

In May 2024, Spain, alongside Ireland and Norway, officially recognized the State of Palestine, a step Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described as a "moral responsibility and a commitment to peace, justice, and international law." 

Race diplomacy

The cycling dispute has sparked wider debate in the sport. García suggested that "by being here it doesn't help the safety of everyone else." Meanwhile, Israel-Premier Tech insisted it will continue competing, warning that any exclusion "sets a dangerous precedent in the sport of cycling."

At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the team's decision not to withdraw, writing on X: "Great job to Sylvan and Israel's cycling team for not giving in to hate and intimidation. You make Israel proud."

The UCI condemned the disruptions, stressing that cycling "should under no circumstances be used as a tool for punishment," but has yet to act on Albares' call.

Spain has been at the forefront of EU debates on "Israel" policy. Since November 2023, Madrid has suspended arms export licenses to "Israel" and has pressed the European Union to reconsider the EU-Israel Association Agreement, arguing that the war on Gaza breaches the treaty's human rights clause. Officials in Madrid have warned that failing to act would damage the EU's credibility on human rights.

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