Israel-Premier Tech to alter name for Canadian races
Team Israel Premier-Tech’s Italian rider Marco Frigo (C) rides next to pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the start of the 12th stage of the Vuelta a Espana, a 144,9 km race between Laredo and Corrales de Buelna, on Sept. 4, 2025. PHOTO: AFP
Cycling team Israel-Premier Tech will abbreviate their name to IPT for races in Canada this week in attempt to avoid incidents caused by protestors, organisers said on Thursday.
The general manager of Friday's Quebec GP and Sunday's event in Montreal, Joseph Limare, said the full name would not appear on riders' jersey.
"They asked us to get rid of the word 'Israel' from what we could," Limare said.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have forced the routes of numerous stages of the ongoing Vuelta a Espana to be shortened or changed.
Canadian media reported that protests were expected at the upcoming races.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive in October 2023 in retaliation for an unprecedented cross-border attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel's bombardment has killed at least 64,600 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations says are reliable.