The organiser of the upcoming Giro dell'Emilia Classic in Italy has confirmed that it has removed the Israel-Premier Tech team from its startlist.
"Unfortunately, Israel-Premier Tech will not be at the start of our race. We had to make this decision for reasons of public safety," race organiser Adriano Amici told the AFP news agency on Saturday.
The decision represents a major change of position for Amici, who previously said that the team would be allowed to take part.
As recently as three days ago Amici had told La Gazzetta dello Sport that "It's not me who should exclude the Israeli team, but the UCI should be the one who, when it sees certain things, communicates that it's better for that team not to compete. We invite the best teams in the world."
The news of the exclusion of Israel-Premier Tech from the Giro dell'Emilia comes just a few weeks after the Vuelta a España's final stage collapsed in chaos when tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protestors, opposed to the participation of Israel-Premier Tech in the Spanish Grand Tour, successfully blockaded the last day of racing. Previously four Vuelta stages had been altered or had their finales suspended as a result of the protests.
The announcement also comes hard on the heels of UCI President David Lappartient insisting that they were committed not to pursue any kind of ban on Israeli teams, despite the ongoing, disruptive protests.
Israel-Premier Tech is not a state-sponsored team, but is registered in Israel and features the nation's name in their branding.
According to Amici's comments to AFP, however, "The atmosphere is very tense; there was too much danger for the Israel-Premier Tech riders and the other riders."
"With our local circuit, which has to be completed five times, there are numerous opportunities to disrupt the race.
"It's a decision I regret from a sporting perspective, but from a public safety perspective, I had no other choice."
Last year Israel-Premier Tech took part in the Giro dell'Emilia, with Canada's Mike Woods their best-placed finisher in fourth.
The 108th edition of the race, which finishes in the city of Bologna, is set to take place this year on October 4, playing its usual double role as a warm-up event for Il Lombardia and as a prestigious race in its own right.
Emilia's decision follows on from Spanish 2.1 stage race O Gran Camiño confirming they won't invite the team next year. Local councils for part of the potential finale of next year's Vuelta a España, as well as the Grand Départ of the 2026 Tour de France in Barcelona, have also stated that they won't go ahead with Israel-Premier Tech on the start line.
Earlier this week, too, the Bologna city council had called for the exclusion of the Israel-registered team, with councillor for sport Roberta di Calzi saying, "We are opposed to 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 in the Gaza Strip."
In October 2023, a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, sparked Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza. So far, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 64,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks, with much of Gaza being destroyed.
