The European Union’s top sports official has suggested that “Israel” could face exclusion from international sporting events over its ongoing war on Gaza, citing the need to uphold humanitarian values.

In remarks made to Politico, EU Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef stated that “there should be no space in sporting events for those who do not share our values,” referring to countries involved in rights violations and humanitarian abuses.

“Sport is a tool that we use to promote peace, through which we promote human rights,” Micallef said to Politico, while noting that the global sports movement remains formally autonomous. Nevertheless, he insisted that the EU has “a responsibility to speak about these issues and to make our feelings known.”

Micallef’s statement comes as the Israeli occupation continues its devastating military assault on Gaza. According to Politico, his comments were made during a wider EU debate on how the international community, including the cultural and sporting sectors, should respond to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in occupied Palestine.

EU pressure builds over Gaza atrocities

Politico reported that the European Commission and member states have come under increasing pressure from civil society and lawmakers to apply the same standards to “Israel” as were applied to Russia following the war with Ukraine in 2022, when Russian athletes and teams were suspended from major events, including the Olympics and FIFA competitions.

Last week, a majority of EU countries supported reviewing the bloc’s political agreement with “Israel”, while Israeli ambassadors in Rome, Paris, and other capitals were summoned after occupation forces admitted to firing “warning shots” near a European diplomatic delegation visiting the occupied West Bank.

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Micallef told Politico that “there’s been bloodshed [in Gaza] and civilians that are paying the price,” adding, “It’s a catastrophe. You see so many children, civilians, young people, without food and water, without access to humanitarian aid, aid that should be allowed to flow at scale to people in Gaza and in Palestine.”

Cultural and sporting institutions face scrutiny

Beyond sports, the controversy around “Israel’s” participation in the Eurovision Song Contest has intensified. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez recently called for “Israel” to be excluded from Eurovision, saying, “We cannot allow double standards, not even in culture.”

Austrian singer JJ, who won the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, himself has called for the exclusion of the Israeli occupation from future editions of the competition, citing its ongoing war of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Micallef, asked by Politico whether he supported Sánchez’s call, reiterated that values must be upheld in all platforms. “These spaces are big stages for political messages, big stages where we should promote values that we stand for in the Union, and where we should give space to those who have similar values to us in general,” he said.

He confirmed that he had already raised the issue with the European Broadcasting Union, the body responsible for Eurovision.

Humanitarian catastrophe drives boycott calls

The calls for boycotting “Israel” in international sports and culture have grown louder as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 53,000 Palestinians, with entire cities such as Rafah and Khan Younis leveled by Israeli occupation forces. 

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are now at risk of famine and disease. Humanitarian agencies continue to warn of an impending collapse of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, with hospitals bombed, aid convoys restricted, and mass displacement ongoing.

Micallef said to Politico that the situation in Gaza is “absolutely shocking,” and reiterated, “My message is quite clear: through sport, we have to promote the values that we stand for, with any country.”

The EU’s apparent double standard, swiftly sanctioning Russia while allowing “Israel” to continue participating in international events, has been sharply criticized by Palestinian advocates and rights groups. Politico noted that, unlike Russia, “Israel” has not faced coordinated action from sporting bodies, despite widespread condemnation of its military campaign.