Canadian company Premier Tech has stepped down as co-title sponsor of Israel-Premier Tech with immediate effect, in spite of an incoming rebrand and change of name "away from its current Israeli identity", it announced on Friday.
Premier Tech has sponsored Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams' team since 2022, but said in a press release that things have now become "untenable" and that the main reason they sponsored the team in the first place has been overshadowed.
"After multiple discussions with the team and careful assessment of all relevant circumstances, Premier Tech has decided to step down as co-title sponsor of the team taking effect immediately," read Premier Tech's statement.
"Although we took notice of the team’s decision to change its name for the 2026 season, the core reason for Premier Tech to sponsor the team has been overshadowed to a point where it has become untenable for us to continue as a sponsor."
Israel-Premier Tech made the decision to rebrand for 2026, when they will move back up to the WorldTour, after they were the subject of several pro-Palestine protests at races such as the Vuelta a España and Canadian Classics, where protesters argued for their exclusion as Israel's armed conflict in Gaza continued.
Adams is set to walk back from his role as the team's spokesperson and will no longer have day-to-day involvement after the rebrand, but the team are yet to announce what they will be called for 2026 and which country's licence they will race under.
In their recent application for a UCI licence, the team simply applied as 'Cycling Academy'.
After thanking the team, their staff and riders for the four-year partnership, Premier Tech also reiterated exactly what their core reason for being involved in cycling and so sponsoring the team has always been about – development of the sport in their home country.
"Premier Tech’s ambition in cycling has always been to build bridges across all levels of the sport, paving the way for athletes and staff to achieve their full potential," read the statement's final paragraph.
"Supporting the growth of the sport, alongside the development of Québec and Canadian cyclists, is at the heart of this commitment — and will remain so in the future."
After the owner of the team's bike sponsor, Factor, Rob Gitelis, told Cyclingnews that "Without a name change, without a flag change, we won't continue", Premier Tech quickly followed suit, issuing a statement with a similar message to Radio Canada, which suggested that today's decision wasn't likely.
"We are sensitive and attentive to the situation on the international scene, which has evolved considerably since our arrival on the World Tour in 2017," read a statement from Premier Tech, as reported by Radio Canada in late September.
"Involved in cycling for more than 30 years, Premier Tech has always placed the development of the sport and Quebec and Canadian cyclists at the heart of its involvement.
"However, the current situation regarding the team name is no longer sustainable to achieve our goal, which is the very reason for our involvement in cycling."
At the same time these statements were being issued, IPT had started to be excluded from more and more races, with many of the Italian Autumn Classics asking them not to take the start or removing them from the start list altogether.
