Afterward, the OCI said, Zisman \u201cadmitted to the head of the delegation that he had acted improperly. This forced the Olympic Committee of Israel to withdraw the request and disqualify the move.\u201d<\/p>\n
The OCI said that the team\u2019s behavior was \u201cimproper\u201d and \u201cgoes against fair and sportsmanlike conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t In a statement posted to Instagram Sunday morning, Edelman wrote that since the team was not in a competitive position and had no chance of winning, \u201cit was more important to us that our alternate could have the opportunity to compete in the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n However, he wrote, \u201cthe circumstances under which we made the substitution did not meet the high bar that allows a team to make a lineup change, and we withdrew from our final run.\u201d<\/p>\n Edelman said the team is \u201csorry that this will not end for us in the way we had hoped,\u201d but that it is \u201cproud of the history we made representing Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n Following its first two runs on Saturday, the team was in 24th place out of 27 competitors after three sleds crashed during the second run. Only the top 20 sleds qualify for the fourth and final heat.<\/p>\n The bobsleigh team<\/a> had been at the center of controversy throughout its time at the Milano Cortina Games, in part due to its high profile in the Israeli delegation, fueled by Edelman\u2019s strong social media presence.<\/p>\n The team made history<\/a> as Israel\u2019s first-ever Olympic bobsleigh team, and as one of the only groups to compete for Israel in a Winter Olympics team event. Throughout its time in Cortina, the team garnered considerable press coverage and attention.<\/p>\n \t Last week, a Swiss commentator came under fire after he spoke over the team\u2019s<\/a> entire run in the two-man bobsleigh event with commentary accusing Edelman of \u201csupporting genocide\u201d and questioning if he should be eligible to compete due to his political positions.<\/p>\n The Swiss RTS public broadcaster later said it had pulled the remarks from its digital platforms, saying that while they were \u201cfactual,\u201d they were \u201cinappropriate due to its length within the context of a sports commentary.\u201d<\/p>\n Then on Saturday, the RAI Italian public broadcaster apologized after<\/a> an off-air comment that called for \u201cavoiding\u201d any discussion of the Israeli bobsleigh team during its first heats in the four-man competition.<\/p>\n The interim director of RAI Sport called the comment an \u201cunacceptable expression\u201d and said that \u201cimmediate internal reviews have been launched to determine responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2026 Winter Olympics are set to wrap up on Sunday, with Israeli skier Barnabas Szollos slated to be the country\u2019s flag-bearer during Sunday night\u2019s closing ceremony.<\/p>\n
If so, we have a request.\u00a0<\/p>\n Every day during the past two years of war and rising global anti-Zionism and antisemitism, our journalists kept you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fact-based coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.\u00a0<\/p>\n We care about Israel – and we know you do too. So we have an ask for this new year of 2026: express your values by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t
\t\t\t
\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.<\/p>\n Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.<\/p>\n So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing\u00a0exclusive content\u00a0available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26052381084869-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tIsrael\u2019s AJ Edelman (left) Menachem Chen, Uri Zisman and Omer Katz slide down the track during a four-man bobsleigh run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, Italy, February 21, 2026. (AP\/Aijaz Rahi)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26049342033623-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tIsrael\u2019s Adam Edelman, left, slides down the track during a four man bobsled training session at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP\/Alessandra Tarantino)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tIs accurate Israel coverage important to you?\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tI’m with you and will give\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tI’m with you and will give\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou appreciate our journalism\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DH-new-headshot-circular.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n