The head of the world governing body for cycling has rejected calls to boycott Israeli athletes, saying that they are “welcome” at its competitions.
“It is perfectly normal for them to be here, because we believe—and I am speaking on behalf of the UCI but I could almost say that these are also Olympic values—that sport is not a tool for punishment,” Reuters quoted David Lappartient, president of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), as saying on Friday.
“We are not a tool for sanctions, we are a tool in the service of an ideal of bringing people together with the unifying power of sport, with the aim of promoting peace. And peace does not come through exclusion,” he said on the sidelines of the World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.
“So yes, Israeli athletes are welcome, just as Palestinian athletes are welcome when we host them at our competitions, just like all athletes from around the world. That is truly the power of the Olympic movement.”
Lappartient was elected to a third four-year term at the UCI Congress on Thursday. He is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which he added “has confirmed our position.”
He spoke before organizers of the Giro dell’Emilia race in Italy caved in to pressure from anti-Israel activists and said on Saturday that the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team would be excluded from the Oct. 4 event.
Organizers justified their decision based on security concerns amid threats by anti-Israel activists to protest and disrupt the race.
Violent anti-Israel disruptions erupted several times during the three-week Vuelta a España grand tour cycling competition in Spain on Aug. 23 to Sept. 14.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said earlier this month that he took pride in the anti-Israel protests that disrupted the race.
In a statement released after being informed of their exclusion from the Italian race, the Israel-Premier Tech team said, “We understand the security challenges faced by the race organizers. However, we deeply regret their decision to cancel the team’s participation in the race and consider this an unacceptable step. We reject threats of violence that harm the sport of cycling and threaten the holding of races.”
Bologna councilor Roberta Li Calzi on Saturday welcomed the boycott of the Jewish state at the upcoming race.
The team is co-owned by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams. Its title sponsor, Premier Tech, a multinational company headquartered in Quebec, said Thursday it expects the team to undergo rebranding.
Calls to ban Israeli soccer from international play are growing louder as well, with the Trump administration pledging to intervene and prevent any efforts to expel the Jewish state ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Associated Press reported on Thursday that UEFA is set to vote to suspend Israel over the war in Gaza, with a majority of the 20-member executive committee expected to approve the move. Hamas ally Qatar is applying heavy pressure to boycott the Blue and Whites.
