There are currently “no plans” for Israel-Premier Tech to drop ‘Israel’ from its name next year, the under-fire team confirmed this morning, following reports in the Belgian press that the squad would be known simply as Premier Tech in 2026.
On Thursday night, Le Soir reported that references to Israel are expected to be removed from the team’s jersey and branding next season, in an apparent response to the protests against the squad’s ongoing participation in major cycling events amid Israel’s war in Gaza.
The claim was made as part of the newspaper’s report on the future of three-time Tour de France stage winner Biniam Girmay, with the Eritrean star appearing to have agreed a three-year deal with Israel-Premier Tech, which may start as soon as January 2026, depending on the progress of Intermarché-Wanty’s merger with fellow Belgian squad Lotto.
The report comes following months of speculation that Israel-Premier Tech – which has been the subject of an intense series of pro-Palestine protests at the Vuelta a España – is facing pressure from sponsors and other stakeholders within cycling to drop ‘Israel’ from its name.
Ethan Vernon and Jake Stewart, Israel-Premier Tech, 2025 Tour of Britain (credit: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com)
However, this morning a spokesperson for the squad denied the latest reports in the Belgian press, telling road.cc that there are currently no plans to remove Israel’s name from its jerseys.
“I’m not sure where Le Soir got that from but it’s not true,” the spokesperson told road.cc. “At this stage, there are no plans to change the team name.”
The squad has previously denied reports that a name change is imminent, claiming that the team has “never been asked” by sponsors or race organisers to change its branding, while also insisting that there are no plans to alter the squad’s “longstanding identity as an Israeli-based team, open to all”.
Despite its current name and branding, the team is not state owned and is instead funded by Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, though they have received some funding from Israel’s ministry for tourism.
Adams – who attended Donald Trump’s inauguration, encouraged US attacks on Iran in June, and called on Israel to “finish the job” in Gaza – has described the team as “ambassadors” for Israel and a means of promoting a “more realistic vision” of modern Israel.
Pro-Palestine protest, stage 11, 2025 Vuelta, Bilbao (credit: RTVE)
That ambassadorial role has doubtlessly fuelled the growing number of protests against the team’s ongoing involvement at cycling’s biggest races, with things coming to a head this week at the Vuelta, where Wednesday’s stage in Bilbao was truncated following rowdy scenes and clashes between officials and pro-Palestine activists at the finish.
Despite those chaotic scenes in Bilbao, which followed other protesters running onto the road in front of the riders, Israel-Premier Tech has insisted it will continue racing at the Vuelta, claiming that “any other course of action sets a dangerous precedent in the sport of cycling”.
However, there have been reports that the team’s refusal to withdraw from the race has attracted criticism from their colleagues in the peloton, as well as the Vuelta’s organisers, who have raised concerns about the impact of Israel-Premier Tech’s ongoing participation on rider safety.
Speaking to reporters at the start of stage 12 in Laredo, Israel-Premier Tech sports director Daryl Impey publicly pointed the finger at Visma-Lease a Bike rider Matteo Jorgenson, claiming the American has been privately messaging the team’s riders on group chats and telling them to leave the race.
“We weren’t talking about whether we’re leaving or not – we’re going to Madrid,” the South African told Daniel Friebe and FloBikes, when asked whether the team had discussed its future at the Vuelta following the scenes in Bilbao.
“Maybe people are talking about it, but as a team we’re committed to going all the way to Madrid. The guys are alright, they’re focusing on the bike race. Obviously yesterday wasn’t a great day for us, but we got through that, and the team’s quite resilient at the moment.
“We’re just trying to focus on what we are, we’re a sports team, and we’re cracking on with it.”
Israel-Premier Tech’s Marco Frigo rides past spectator with Palestine flag, stage 7, 2025 Vuelta (credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Asked about whether any rival teams have expressed a preference for Israel-Premier Tech to leave the Vuelta, Impey said: “No, no team has come to us and said, ‘we think you should go home’. Everyone’s got their opinions, and a lot of them feel for us, there’s actually been a lot of support from the teams.
“There have also been some riders supporting, some riders feeling bad. But Jorgenson has been the most vocal in that CPA (riders’ union] group, he’s probably the guy who’s had the most to say. So, maybe you should ask Jorgenson what he thinks.
“We’re a sports team, we don’t mix politics. But obviously it’s got to a point for him, and he’s got a lot more to say.
“He’s been pretty vocal, messaging the guys to leave. I don’t know who made him king of the Vuelta, but maybe you should go ask him what he thinks.”
When told about Impey’s comments, a clearly unimpressed Jorgenson said: “Those statements were made in a private group chat among the riders, and I think it’s pretty inappropriate for him to say it publicly to the media. And I think it shows his standpoint quite clearly.
“I don’t have a comment to make on it, and I’ve already voiced my opinion in a situation where I’m able to and I can make an impact.
“I think sometimes cyclists are really in our own world and focused on our tasks, so we’re all sometimes annoyed when situations arise. And I’m just trying to encourage everyone to come out of that and realise the bigger situations and take some perspective.”
Since the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza, Israel-Premier Tech – arguably one of the country’s most prominent sporting symbols, its name emblazoned across the riders’ jerseys – has increasingly been the focal point of demonstrations protesting its ongoing participation at cycling’s biggest races.
There were anti-Israel protests at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this year, both involving activists running onto the road in front of the riders, with the group behind the Tour protest accusing the race of being “complicit in genocide” and “helping restore the image of the Israeli colonial regime” by allowing Israel-Premier Tech to participate.
Former Israel-Premier Tech riders Alessandro De Marchi and Jakob Fuglsang have also publicly expressed their relief at no longer representing the team and wearing its logo in public.
Tensions have ratcheted up in recent weeks, especially at the Vuelta, where roadside protests, course invasions, and anti-Israel graffiti have become an almost daily occurrence.
Israel – Premier Tech team time trial interrupted by pro-Palestine protest at Vuelta a España (credit: TNT Sports/Irlandarra)
During the race’s team time trial on stage five, a group of protesters blocked the road as Israel-Premier Tech approached, forcing the team to slow and some riders to come to a halt. And on Tuesday’s stage 10, anti-Israel demonstrators entered the course, causing Intermarché-Wanty’s Simone Petilli to crash.
Things came to a head on Wednesday in the Basque Country – a hotbed of pro-Palestine sentiment – as riders held a pre-stage meeting with race organisers to discuss the safety implications of the ongoing protests.
Before stage 11 had even officially started, a course invasion blocked the road, while two protesters later stood in front of the riders on the Alto del Vivero, forcing Tom Pidcock to duck under their banner stretched across the road.
Finally, rowdy scenes on the finishing straight in Bilbao – where items were thrown at the riders and activists attempted to push through the barriers, clashing with police and race officials – prompted the Vuelta organisers to cancel the planned stage finish in the city. No winner was declared and the times for the general classification were taken from 3km out, as riders were diverted to their team buses.
🔴Momentos de tensión en el desarrollo la etapa 11 de #LaVuelta25 en Bilbao
Los manifestantes en favor de Palestina intentan interrumpir la competición https://t.co/YG2YEjFBeX pic.twitter.com/9nYgnmOVVG
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) September 3, 2025
Following the protests in Bilbao, the team issued a statement which, while upholding “everyone’s right to protest”, claimed that the behaviour of the Bilbao protesters, which they said compromised the safety of the peloton, was “not only dangerous, but counterproductive to their cause”.
“Israel-Premier Tech is a professional cycling team,” the squad, which boasts a sizeable British contingent and is represented by Jake Stewart and Ethan Vernon at the Vuelta, said in its statement.
“As such, the team remains committed to racing on at the Vuelta a España. Any other course of action sets a dangerous precedent in the sport of cycling not only for Israel-Premier Tech, but for all teams.”