A Canadian company has ended its sponsorship of an Israeli-owned team following multiple pro-Palestinian protests at major cycling races.
Israel Premier Tech’s title sponsor has ended its relationship with the cycling team with immediate effect, despite the company’s announcement that it will completely revamp its brand and operate under a new name for the 2026 season, following protests over the team’s participation in the race.
Canadian company Premier Tech announced on Friday that it would terminate its sponsorship after the team was targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters at several races this year. Stages of the Vuelta a España Grand Tour in August and September were disrupted by demonstrators, and the race was subsequently canceled by organizers.
Sponsors removed their full names from riders’ jerseys at the Vuelta.
The team is owned by Canadian-Israeli real estate developer Sylvan Adams, was founded in 2014 by Ron Baron and Ran Margaliot, and is based in Israel.
Two other major stage races in the sport, the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, were also the subject of isolated protests and were accused of sportswashing by pro-Palestinian groups.
After the Vuelta, Canadian multinational Premier Tech asked the team to change its name, drop “Israel” and adopt a new identity and brand image.
The team agreed to move away from “Israeli identity.”
However, Premier Tech, a Canadian-based manufacturing and horticulture company, announced it would step down as the team’s co-title sponsor effective immediately.
“While we noted the team’s decision to change its name for the 2026 season, the core reasons for Premier Tech to sponsor the team have been overshadowed, making it impossible for them to continue as a sponsor,” the company added.
“We would like to thank the team – the riders and staff – for being by our side for four unforgettable seasons and acknowledge their great achievements and professionalism both on and off the road.”
Canadian cyclist Derek Gee, who finished fourth overall at this year’s Giro d’Italia, also left Israel Premier Tech just before the Vuelta, citing “personal beliefs.”
Gee said last month that he was facing a 30 million euro (about $35 million) damage claim from the team.
In September, a United Nations investigation found Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide, holding the Israeli government responsible for a war that has killed at least 68,875 Palestinians.
Although the team is privately owned rather than state-run, Adams has described himself as Israel’s unofficial ambassador, and the team was praised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for refusing to withdraw from the Vuelta despite protests until the race was ultimately called off.
In October, Adams stepped back from day-to-day involvement with the team and no longer speaks on its behalf.
The team joined World Tour elite level road racing ahead of the 2020 season and welcomed four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome in July of the same year.
Amid pro-Palestinian protests at the Vuelta, Spain’s Sports Minister Pilar Alegría called for a ban on Israeli sports teams, similar to the ban on Russian teams after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, highlighting “double standards.”
“It’s difficult to explain and understand that there is a double standard,” Alegría told Spanish radio station Cadena SER in September.
“I agree that the League of Nations and the Commission should make the same decision in 2022, given that there has been such a genocide, such a genocide, and given that we are experiencing such absolutely terrible conditions every day,” she added.
“(The protests) are a clear expression of people’s emotions and we cannot distance sports from the world around them.”
