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A cycling squad astatine the Spanish Vuelta is riding with caller uniforms without the team's sanction aft they were repeatedly targeted by pro-Palestinian protests during the race.
Israel Premier Tech gave its cyclists the caller uniforms earlier Saturday's 14th signifier amid a hard week for the team. It faced protests earlier and during contention days, arsenic good arsenic unit from some contention officials and Spanish authorities.
Pier-Andre Cote from the Israel Premier Tech squad rides during the eleventh signifier of the Spanish Vuelta cycling race.
Miguel Oses / AP
The squad said the determination was "in the involvement of prioritizing the information of our riders and the full peloton, successful airy of the unsafe quality of immoderate protests astatine Vuelta."
Its bluish uniforms, which volition beryllium utilized for the last week of the race, present lone person a ample P and a star. The "monogram kit present aligns with the branding decisions we person antecedently adopted for our vehicles and casual clothing," it said.
The Vuelta is 1 of cycling's prestigious Grand Tours, alongside the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. The squad has seen akin protests astatine different races, including successful Italy and the U.K.
Israel Premier Tech's information successful the contention has faced protests this week, the biggest of which forced contention organizers to chopped abbreviated Wednesday's accomplishment successful the metropolis of Bilbao.
On Friday, Spanish constabulary detained 12 radical who invaded the people with a pro-Palestinian banner and impeded the pb riders until constabulary removed them.
People holding Palestinian flags beryllium connected the thoroughfare aft disrupting the eleventh signifier of the Spanish Vuelta cycling contention successful Bilbao, Spain, connected Sept. 3, 2025.
Miguel Oses / AP
Spaniards are mostly sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Spain's authorities is besides highly captious of Israel's military penetration into Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians successful retaliation for the Hamas attacks successful October 2023. In May, the Spanish government, alongside those from Ireland and Norway, announced it would beryllium recognizing a Palestinian state. It was a determination that drew condemnation from Israel and jubilation from the Palestinians.
Israel Premier Tech has said dropping retired of the contention would "set a unsafe precedent." Only 1 of the team's riders astatine the Vuelta is Israeli.
American Matthew Riccitello is the best-positioned rider connected the team. He was seventh wide aft 13 stages astatine implicit 4 minutes down contention person Jonas Vingegaard.
Team Israel Premier-Tech's Italian rider Marco Frigo (C) rides adjacent to pro-Palestinian demonstrators astatine the commencement of the 12th signifier of the Vuelta a España.
ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty Images
The Vuelta condemned the Bilbao protest, but its method director, Kiko Garcia, urged Israel Premier Tech to driblet retired oregon for the UCI, cycling's governing body, to intervene, due to the fact that determination was a hazard of much protests if it kept racing. UCI has besides condemned the protestation successful Bilbao.
On Thursday, Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said helium would "understand and beryllium successful favor" of the squad being removed from the race, portion adding his authorities doesn't person the powerfulness to bash so.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his enactment of the team, which is owned by Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams, saying it made "Israel proud."
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