After the escalation of pro-Palestine protests this week at La Vuelta a España, the Israel-Premier Tech team have removed the word ‘Israel’ from their jerseys for the remainder of the race.
Contrary to rumours that the team name could also be adjusted, the squad will continue to be called Israel-Premier Tech, with the team insistent that there are no plans to drop ‘Israel’.
The team has no official links to the Israeli government, but billionaire team owner Sylvan Adams is a staunch supporter of the Israel Defence Forces actions in Gaza and has called himself a "self-appointed ambassador-at-large for Israel," sparking a rise in protests during La Vuelta.
The team logo, modelled on the Star of David remains on the kit, moving over to the right-side of the chest. 'Premier Tech' has also been removed from the front of the jersey, with its logo moving up to a more prominent position alongside the Star of David logo on the left-side of the chest. 'Israel' has also been removed from the right leg.
Protests have been a regular occurrence since the conflict in Gaza began, but have been intensifying during the Spanish Grand Tour. They reached a peak on Wednesday during the 157.4km stage starting and finishing in Bilbao, capital of the Basque Country. It was reported that up to 2,000 protestors lined the finish straight in Blibao, forcing race organisers to bring the finish line forward by 3km with no stage winner.
The previous day, Intermarché-Wanty rider Simone Petilli was injured after protestors blocked the road in front of the peloton. Earlier in the race, protestors blocked the team during the team time trial.
With further protests halting the breakaway at the foot of the Angliru on stage 13 on Friday, the team has decided to make the kit change. The word ‘Israel’ had already been removed from the team’s vehicles and casual clothing, and riders had been issued with blank training kits for their safety last year.
Israel-Premier Tech released a statement on their social media accounts on Saturday morning.
"In the interest of prioritising the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests at La Vuelta, Israel – Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race,” the statement read.
“The team name remains Israel – Premier Tech but the monogram kit now aligns with the branding decisions we have previously adopted for our vehicles and casual clothing.”
Calls have come from several quarters for the team to pull out or be removed from the race, but Israel-Premier Tech have vowed to race on in recent days.
