After Giro dell’Emilia ban, Israel-Premier Tech takes matters into own hands: Team pulls out of Italian fall races

Stage 11 to Bilbao was neutralized, the finish of Stage 16 had to be moved last minute, and the chaotic scenes in Madrid’s final stage were alarming: the Vuelta was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protests for nearly the entire three weeks. The 2026 edition of the Tour of Spain is set to finish in the Canary Islands, but that now seems impossible if Israel–Premier Tech is on the start list.

Antonio Morales, president of Gran Canaria's island council, makes it clear to Marca that there is a condition for hosting the Vuelta. The island’s top representative acknowledged the desire to host stages of next year’s Vuelta, but only if the Israeli team is excluded.

“We find it unacceptable that there are no restrictions on Israel’s participation in the Vuelta, but also in basketball and the Eurovision Song Contest,” Morales said. That they would love to welcome the Vuelta is obvious. “It would be important for Gran Canaria and the entire archipelago, but not under these circumstances. We would not be willing.”

Still, Morales stressed that the decision is not yet final, though he insisted the principle will stand. “We’ve given ourselves some time to wait until international organizations make their decision,” he said, referring to treatment similar to that of Russia in sporting events.

Morales made his position clear. “Israel is committing genocide. We cannot accept being complicit in this cover-up.” He also pointed out that Gran Canaria has a historic Palestinian community and that his rejection is part of a broader social and political stance.

Morales is convinced that the owner of the Israeli team has boasted about his close ties to Netanyahu and that the cycling team is a propaganda project. “He can’t keep pretending nothing is going on,” he said firmly. If nothing changes, Morales concluded, then the Vuelta should not come to Gran Canaria.

That means the Vuelta a España isn’t the only race taking a hard stance against the participation of Israel–Premier Tech. Le Grand Départ, the start of the Tour de France, will be held in Barcelona next year. But if nothing changes, that too is in jeopardy, reports AS.

The Barcelona city council doesn’t want to cancel the Tour start, but also doesn’t want to see an Israeli team on the start line. David Escudé, the city’s sports councilor, explained: “We want the teams riding under the Israeli flag to stop racing under this flag, just as was done with Russia.”

“This isn’t just about cycling, a popular sport freely accessible to the public, but restrictions should apply at all international events to teams competing under the Israeli flag,” Escudé argued. He also urged the Olympic Committee and other sports bodies “not to look the other way.”

Even if the situation in Gaza changes this winter, Israel-Premier Tech cannot count on an invitation to the Spanish stage race O Gran Camiño. The team won the race this year with Derek Gee, but will not get the chance to defend that title. Organizer and former cyclist Ezequiel Mosquera has already announced that he is ruling out the team for 2026.

“I have to protect the competition. It's not an easy situation for anyone,” the Spaniard explained. According to Mosquera, O Gran Camiño is intended to promote tourism and heritage in Galicia, and that does not include tensions. O Gran Camiño does not have WorldTour status and can therefore refuse teams. “We want to protect what we have.”

In Italy, there is concern about the presence of Israel-Premier Tech in the fall races. Roberta Li Calzi, Bologna's councilor for sports, wants the organizers of the Giro dell'Emilia to take steps to exclude the team from the race. “We are against the participation of an Israeli team in the Giro dell'Emilia at a time like this, when the Israeli government is committing serious crimes against the civilian population of Gaza,” she told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“This is not an anti-sports stance, but we cannot accept that a team with ties to that same government participates in a sporting event that by definition represents opposed values,” she clarified. “We ask the organizers of the Giro dell'Emilia to exclude Israel - Premier Tech from participation.”

Adriano Amici, race director of the Tour of Emilia, responded to Li Calzi's appeal. He believes that it is not up to him to make a decision. “I am not the one who should exclude the Israeli team, but the UCI should be the one who, when it sees certain things, communicates that that team shouldn't participate.”

Ultimately, the external pressure proved too great. On September 27, the race organizers announced that they would not allow Israel-Premier Tech to participate in the Giro dell'Emilia. The race organizers made this decision due to serious concerns about safety during the race.

After Israel - Premier Tech was banned from the Tour of Emilia, the team has taken matters into its own hands. The Trittico Lombardia, consisting of the Coppa Agostoni, Coppa Bernocchi, and Tre Valli Varesine, will be skipped by the team after all the external pressure. This is not a decision made by the organization, but by the team itself.

Renzo Oldani, organizer of the Tre Valli Varesine, emphasizes this. “We acknowledge Israel - Premier Tech's decision not to participate in the races,” Marca reports. “We express our utmost respect for this decision.” Whether the team will be at the start of later races, particularly the Tour of Lombardy, is still unclear.