Israeli cycling team barred from Italy tournament over ‘public safety concerns’
The Israeli cycling team has been barred from Italy’s prestigious Giro dell’Emilia tournament amid “public safety concerns” arising from the potential of the team’s facing backlash from spectators over Tel Aviv’s ongoing war of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Adriano Amici, head of the organizing committee, confirmed on Saturday that the cycling outfit Israel Premier Tech would not be allowed to start the October 4 race.
“The atmosphere is too tense, the risk of disruptions is too high, and we had no other option,” he said, and warned that protesters could especially amass at the site of the race’s final circuit, featuring five climbs, to demonstrate against October 2023-present genocide.
The decision followed a call by Bologna’s city council, led by Italy’s Democratic Party, demanding exclusion of the team due to the regime’s “grave war crimes in Gaza.”
Roberta Li Calzi, the city’s deputy mayor for sports, welcomed the move, stressing, “The presence of a team tied to” the regime “is unacceptable while Gaza is under assault.”
This is not the first time the team has faced public outrage. During Spain’s Vuelta in August, massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations disrupted the race and forced organizers to shorten multiple stages, including the finale in Madrid.
Reports also indicate that the team, bankrolled by billionaire Sylvan Adams, may soon face mounting demands to change its name and erase the word “Israel” from its branding.
The 199-kilometer Giro dell’Emilia, running from Mirandola to Bologna, is a major event on cycling’s ProSeries calendar and a key lead-up to the Giro di Lombardia.
This year, however, it has become another stage for international solidarity with Palestine and growing rejection of the regime’s attempts to, what observers call, “sportswash” the genocide.
The brutal military onslaught has so far claimed the lives of around 66,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Earlier this month, the Israeli chess team was forced to withdraw from a high-profile international tournament after organizers prevented it from playing under the regime’s flag in protest at the genocide.
Israeli chess players ditch regime flag in Spain amid pressure over Gaza genocide https://t.co/tWSGTkjAZX
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) September 5, 2025
The Athletic, The New York Times’ sports journalism department, reported the development on Friday concerning the seven-strong team that had planned on competing in the Basque Country Chess Championship in the Spanish town of Sestao.
Prior to that, an international campaign powered, among others, by renowned former footballers and football support groups began seeking to prompt countries to boycott the Israeli football team.
#GameOverIsrael: Ex-footballers, rights groups, influencers launch Israel boycott campaignhttps://t.co/DAnScxnokq
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) September 17, 2025
#GameOverIsrael, launched on September 16, strives to make some of the countries priding themselves on trailblazing football history, including England, France, Italy, and Spain, to suspend the team.
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