What Tom Pidcock and the Arsenal football team have to do with Biniam Girmay's possible transfer to IPT

Israel–Premier Tech, as we have known it in recent years, has completely changed. The Israeli identity is gone, title sponsor Premier Tech has left, and the organisation suddenly needed to look for new backers. Now there is more sponsor news, and that can only help the potential transfer of Biniam Girmay.

Despite all the sponsor chaos around the team, the organisation has submitted a WorldTour licence application under the name Cycling Academy – the continuation of the old Israel–Premier Tech structure. Both Israel and Premier Tech have distanced themselves from the squad, and bike manufacturer Factor has also decided to end its partnership with the team. But thanks to Tom Pidcock’s team Q36.5, a new supplier has suddenly come onto the market.

they decided to partner up with Pinarello. That meant Scott would no longer be providing bikes there – and at Cycling Academy, a spot has opened up at exactly the right time. According to cycling journalist Daniel Benson, an agreement has been reached, giving the team not only a new bike supplier in Scott, but also a sponsor for the coming season.

Of course, that alone will not be enough. A lot more new backers will be needed to keep the squad operating at WorldTour level. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Ciro Scognamiglio, a so-far unnamed Swiss bank is one of the options, while Visit Rwanda also appears to be in the frame as a candidate sponsor. A combination of the two is also possible.

That last option is certainly not a crazy one. Rwanda is a hugely cycling-mad country, as was clear during this year’s World Championships in the capital Kigali. Rumours have also surfaced that organisers are working on bringing a WorldTour race to the country. Rwanda’s influence in cycling is growing and growing, and sponsoring a top team would be the next logical step.

But where would the money come from? From football, it seems. For eight years, Visit Rwanda has been a sponsor of English football club Arsenal, with its logo prominently displayed on the shoulder of the famous red-and-white shirt. On Wednesday, however, Visit Rwanda announced that the partnership will come to an end in June 2026. That could free up funds for a move into the cycling world.

If Visit Rwanda really does team up with Cycling Academy, it would, of course, love nothing more than to sign the best African rider in the peloton. And according to La Gazzetta, the deal with Girmay is already done – only the transfer announcement is still missing. How many years the Eritrean sprinter would sign for is not yet clear.