The Cycling team Israel Prime Minister Tech has removed its complete name for the rest of the Vuelta a España from the drivers’ jerseys. The team said that this measure was “for the security of our drivers and the entire field in view of the dangerous nature of some protests”. The lettering “Israel” has now been removed by the racing jersey, as had been done with team vehicles and team outfits.
Previously, there had been several attacks by Pro-Palestinian demonstrators, including the finish of the eleventh stage. The protests led to the early end of the stage and was primarily directed against the Israeli team. Its owner is the Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, who looks at his team as Ambassador Israel. The Team Israel Prime Minister Tech was also stopped on the street by a group of demonstrators with Palestinian flags during the team time trial in Figueres last week.
After the incident on Wednesday, the team announced that it is still committed to continuing the race and the “right to protest” of all, “as long as these protests remain peaceful and do not endanger the safety of the peloton”.
Before the eleventh stage, the cyclistes Professionalnels Associés had called for better safety precautions to the Vuelta after a number of incidents had led to concerns about the subject of the safety of the drivers.
Worth a look
