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The Israel-Premier Tech squad, whose five British riders include four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome, is Israeli-registered and owned by Israeli-Canadian property billionaire Sylvan Adams.<\/p>\n
It was founded as Israel Cycling Academy in 2014 and has been sponsored by Canadian company Premier Tech since 2022.<\/p>\n
Premier Tech said last month<\/a> it expected Israel to be dropped from the name from the 2026 season.<\/p>\n Adams is to step back from his day-to-day role as part of the changes and will no longer speak on the team’s behalf.<\/p>\n The 66-year-old is closely associated with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and has previously told BBC Sport he is a “self-appointed ambassador to Israel”.<\/a><\/p>\n There were several protests and disruptions during the three-week Vuelta, aimed mainly at the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech team, who stopped using their full name on their jerseys midway through the race.<\/p>\n The final stage, around Madrid, was cancelled following pro-Palestinian protests, which caused scuffles with riders and the course to be blocked in several places.<\/p>\n The team had their invitation to last weekend’s second-tier Giro dell’Emilia race in Italy revoked over fears the race could have been affected by similar disruptions.<\/p>\n President of the professional cyclists’ union Adam Hansen has said cutting races short<\/a> may be the only way to deter protests.<\/p>\n World cycling governing body the UCI said it will continue to welcome Israeli athletes at its competitions despite calls for sporting boycotts.<\/a><\/p>\n After the United Nations commission of inquiry formally declared Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza – a claim Israel denies – there have been growing calls for the country to be suspended from international football competition.<\/p>\n The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.<\/p>\n At least 67,139 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n