Israel\u2013Premier Tech has rebranded as NSN Cycling Team and will race under a Swiss licence with a base in Spain, it was revealed today.<\/p>\n
The international sports and entertainment company NSN (Never Say Never) and Stoneweg, a global investment platform based in Geneva, Switzerland, have \u201centered into a joint venture\u201d to take over the WorldTour and Development team structure ahead of the 2026 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The change in sponsorship follows protests at races against the participation of Israel\u2013Premier Tech in light of Israel\u2019s war on Gaza. These protests came to a head at the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a where several stages were cut short and demonstrators labelled the team\u2019s participation as \u201csportswashing<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n Former Israel\u2013Premier Tech riders Alessandro de Marchi<\/a> and Jakob Fuglsang<\/a> also expressed relief over no longer riding for the team, while Derek Gee terminated his contract<\/a> following \u201cserious concerns related to racing for the team\u201d and a \u201cpersonal-belief standpoint\u201d.<\/p>\n As a result of the mounting pressure on Israel\u2013Premier Tech, both Premier Tech and Factor Bikes said they would withdraw their support for the team if it did not change its name or drop its affiliation with Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although Israel\u2013Premier Tech said it would change its name<\/a>, Premier Tech still dropped its sponsorship of the team in early November.\u00a0<\/p>\n