A source confirmed to JNS on Wednesday that the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team will be competing in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal on Sept. 14, despite an anti-Israel group urging the Canadian city’s mayor to bar its participation.
The confirmation comes after Canadian public broadcaster CBC reported on Monday that the group Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU) asked Mayor Valérie Plante in a letter to prevent the team from competing. The team is owned by Canadian-Israeli Sylvan Adams.
The Montreal-based group falsely accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza during its nearly two-year-long war against Hamas, which the Palestinian terrorist group started with its invasion of the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023. Jerusalem vehemently rejects the charge of genocide, as does the Trump administration.
PAJU’s lawyers “gave” the city until Tuesday at 4 p.m. to delete Israel-Premier Tech from the participation list.
“If we do not receive written confirmation of the team’s exclusion ..., we are mandated to initiate, on behalf of our client, any legal recourse deemed appropriate, without further notice or delay,” the letter reads.
The development comes after violent anti-Israel disruptions during the Vuelta a España grand tour cycling competition targeting the Israel-Premier Tech team. The hostile protests prompted the riders to change their uniforms during the race.
“In the interest of prioritizing the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests at the Vuelta a España, Israel-Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race,” the team said in a statement on Saturday.
“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.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed support for the team in a social-media post on Sept. 5: “Great job to Sylvan and Israel’s cycling team for not giving in to hate and intimidation. You make Israel proud!”
The Montreal race follows the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec on Friday.
