Israel–Premier Tech has confirmed it will undergo a full rebrand, changing its name and its national identity.
“With steadfast commitment to our riders, staff, and valued partners, the decision has been made to rename and rebrand the team, moving away from its current Israeli identity,” the team said in a statement released on Monday.
The team’s co-founder, Sylvan Adams, will also step back from his day-to-day involvement and will no longer speak on behalf of the team.
The decision follows a period of mounting pressure on the team. Israel–Premier Tech was the target of massive protests throughout this year’s Vuelta a España, which saw several stages cut short, and organisers of the protests described the team as engaging in “sportswashing”.
Organisers of the Giro dell’Emilia pulled Israel–Premier Tech from the race over the weekend and the team then abandoned its plans to race the Italian classics this week due to safety concerns.
Factor bikes also threatened to withdraw support from the team, with the brand’s founder Rob Gitelis stating: “Without a name change, without a flag change, we won't continue.”
The team’s title sponsor, Premier Tech, also demanded the team drop 'Israel' from its name and adopt a new identity and brand image.
As well as sponsors voicing concerns over the team’s name and nationality, two former riders expressed relief at no longer riding for Israel–Premier Tech.
Jakob Fuglsang said in August that he felt a sense of relief at no longer wearing the team’s jersey, stating it’s “nicer to ride around without an Israel logo than with it”.
In his final season as a professional, Alessandro De Marchi said in July that he is “happy and relieved” not to be cycling for Israel-Premier Tech after two years with the team. He added that he would no longer feel comfortable riding for the team due to Israel’s continued war on Gaza.
“I would have really struggled to be there now and been in great difficulty,” said De Marchi.
De Marchi also told The Observer that he would like the UCI to “address the war”, but since his comments, cycling’s governing body has released several statements expressing its political neutrality.
Following the neutralisation of stage 11 of the Vuelta a España due to demonstrations, the UCI firmly condemned the actions of pro-Palestine protestors.
The UCI also said that the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez’s support of the pro-Palestine protests at La Vuelta “calls into question Spain's ability to host major international sporting events”.
It’s not yet known what Israel–Premier Tech’s new name will be, or what nationality it will race under. But the team says it remains true to its “founding promise to develop cycling talent from around the world”.
