KIGALI, Rwanda – International Cycling Union (UCI) president David Lappartient insisted on Friday that sport cannot be “a tool of sanctions” as calls mount for Israel to be barred from sporting events.
The Vuelta a España grand tour, which ended earlier this month, was massively disrupted by protesters in Spain targeting the Israel-Premier Tech team, which, while not representing the country, is owned by a Jewish businessman with close ties to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Some have called on authorities at the World Championships in Kigali this week and next week’s Europeans in France to bar Israel, because of its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
But Lappartient, who will begin a new four-year mandate at the head of the UCI on Saturday, insisted that that was not the right path to follow.
“The IOC has confirmed our position, which is that sport is not a tool for sanctions but a tool in the service of an ideal, which is to bring people together with the aim of promoting peace,” he said.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
“And peace is not brought about through exclusion. Israeli athletes, just like Palestinian athletes and all the world’s athletes, are welcome in our competitions.”
UCI President David Lappartient stand with medal winners on the podium following the team time trial mixed relay cycling event during the UCI 2025 Road World Championships, in Kigali, on September 24, 2025. (Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
Lappartient also rejected accusations of double standards over the ban of Russian athletes from cycling competitions as Russia continues to wage its bloody war in Ukraine.
“The Russian Olympic Committee is suspended today because in its statutes it has incorporated the four Ukrainian oblasts (largely occupied by Russia) and because Russia attacked Ukraine during the Olympic truce that had been unanimously adopted by the United Nations,” he said.
“So it is not directly because of the war, otherwise, unfortunately, many more countries would be suspended.”
As for the Israel-PT team, he said that it is “very clear that it has the right to participate” in races.
Lappartient resisted pressure from the Spanish government, which openly supported the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests that led to the cancellation of the Vuelta’s final stage and other disruptions, to pull the team out of the Spanish grand tour.
“If we start by excluding a team, the next year it will be another, for another reason,” he argued, denouncing the attempt to take the Vuelta “hostage.”
Team Israel Premier Tech’s riders compete during the fifth stage of La Vuelta a España cycling tour, a 24.1 km time-trial team race in Figueres, on August 27, 2025. (Josep LAGO / AFP)
Several stages of the Vuelta were either shortened or neutralized due to the protests, while two riders crashed because of protesters jumping onto the course.
“It is totally unacceptable that protesters jumped onto the route and made riders fall,” said Lappartient.
“At the same time, the [Spanish] prime minister supported the protesters, and it is not by pouring oil on the fire that we will be able to guarantee the safety of our races.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Is The Times of Israel important to you?
If so, we have a request.
Every day, even during war, our journalists keep you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fast, fair and free coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
We care about Israel – and we know you do too. So today, we have an ask: show your appreciation for our work by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work.
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
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.
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 exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel