Cycling is a sport littered with sports-washing allegations. Several teams at the pinnacle of the sport receive some level of government funding from non-traditional cycling countries, such as UAE Team Emirates – XRG, XDS Astana Team, and Bahrain Victorious, which receive funding from (unsurprisingly) the Emirati, Kazakh, and Bahraini governments, respectively. Another team that is sometimes bundled in with these teams is Israel–Premier Tech. This is not quite a fair representation, though, as Israel–Premier Tech do not have any government funding; instead, it is the passion project of Israeli-Canadian billionaire, Sylvan Adams.

The team started in 2014 at the third tier of cycling, Continental, before rising to Pro-Continental (2nd tier) in 2017. They even spent a stint at the top level, the World Tour, from 2020-2022, before being relegated back to a Pro Race Team (2nd tier, but with a new name because Cycling’s governing body decided to change their name for the 2020 season) in 2023. Their initial aims were to give Israeli cyclists a chance to launch their professional careers on an international stage. This quickly developed as they progressed through the ranks to the top themselves, turning into less of a launchpad and more of a home for Israeli cyclists at the top step.

In 2018, Israel Cycling Academy, as they were then known, were invited to participate in the Giro d’Italia, one of cycling’s three grand tours. The grand tours are the most prestigious stage races in the sport, with one of them, the Tour de France, among the most-watched global sporting events each year. The 2018 Giro d’Italia started in Jerusalem, with Sylvan Adams playing a significant role in both the race’s presence in Italy and Israel Cycling Academy’s participation. Significantly, the race marked the first time that the Giro d’Italia started outside of Europe, and perhaps more importantly to Adams, the first time an Israeli cyclist had finished a grand tour when the race concluded in Rome.

Cycling is a sport littered with sports-washing allegations.

The team grew massively over the following years, securing a World Tour license for the 2020 season, allowing them to participate in most races they wanted to. The same year saw them secure a stage win in the Giro d’Italia, courtesy of British time trialist Alex Dowsett, as well as a stage win and fourth place overall in the Vuelta a España, courtesy of Irish puncheur Dan Martin. At the end of the 2022 season, they were relegated to Pro Race Team because they had not scored enough points over the previous three years, in one of cycling’s more confusing rules. This did not stop them from regularly being invited to races after this, and they have performed better every single year in the 2023-2025 period, after their relegation, than in any single year in the 2020-2022 period. This meant that, looking ahead to 2026, they expected to be back at the top level again. This, however, has not quite happened.

The team and its riders have been under scrutiny since the 2024 season, following the Gaza-Israel conflict, which began towards the tail end of the 2023 season. One of the first races of the 2024 season was the Australian National Championships, where Israel–Premier Tech rider, Simon Clarke, was disrupted in the race and was accused of supporting an “apartheid regime”. 

The protests were much more prevalent in the 2025 season than in 2024, though, with the Giro d’Italia, Amstel Gold Race and Tour de France all seeing minor disruptions from activists. However, no significant alterations were needed to any of these races. 

The Vuelta a España is the third of cycling’s three grand tours, along with the aforementioned Giro d’Italia and Tour de France. The Vuelta is the final one and often used as a chance for cyclists to redeem themselves after a poor season or prove themselves to potential sponsors in a last-ditch attempt to secure a contract for the following season. This year’s race started in Italy before moving to northern Spain, where most of the race took place. 

The team and their riders have been under scrutiny since the 2024 season, following the Gaza-Israel conflict…

In the run-up to the race, there were several calls from campaigners, as well as from the United Left political party, which is a minor part of the Spanish government’s coalition, to remove Israel-Premier Tech from the Vuelta over its support for Israel. These calls for removal were answered with no direct action, only what could be seen as meaningless statements from race management.

Stage 5 of the race was a Team Time Trial. This is where each team sets out on its own to race a fixed, but relatively short, course as quickly as possible, rather than all riders being on the course at the same time, as is normal. This was the first stage where disruptions were seen to the race, with a group of protesters blocking Israel–Premier Tech’s path on the road with Palestinian flags. This prompted mixed responses from the media, with some commentators commending the protests. However, many disapproved because they believed sports should be perceived as a place where political boundaries are left behind.  Ultimately, because of the nature of the stage, this action affected only the offending team, Israel-Premier Tech, who were awarded a 15-second bonus as compensation for the disruption, leading them to finish 14th rather than 20th.

The eleventh stage of the race was the next to be marred by protest. Whereas stage five saw only the Israeli-backed team affected by the demonstrations, stage 11 saw significant disruption for all teams at the end, leading to the race being shortened while the riders were on the course. Therefore, there was no stage winner declared, much to the annoyance of British multi-talent, Tom Pidcock, who crossed the moved finish line of the shortened stage first, yet was not awarded the stage victory. Pidcock did not ride for Israel–Premier Tech, yet he was denied what would have been his first stage win in La Vuelta, and his biggest win of the year, because of protesters campaigning against a team being invited to the race he was also participating in. Pidcock’s lack of a stage win would only have been made more painful by stage 16 being similarly shortened, yet the stage win was actually awarded (to Colombian Egan Bernal).

The final stage of the grand tours is often a procession around the host country’s capital city, where the riders cycle into the city, then do a few laps with plenty of photo opportunities, followed by a sprint finish. This year, La Vuelta never reached the planned circuit in Madrid because around  100,000 protesters swarmed the route, forcing the race to be called off as it would have been unsafe to ride the final 55km. These large-scale protests also saw the official podium ceremony cancelled, and riders instead celebrated in makeshift ways in the car park!

In the aftermath of La Vuelta, Israel-Premier Tech were deselected from participating in the Italian one-day race, the Giro dell’Emilia, over concerns that similar protests would occur. The team attempted to cover up their Israeli links by using jerseys with the name ‘IPT’ rather than ‘Israel Premier Tech,’ but it did not help. This change began on Stage 14 of La Vuelta, but, following subsequent protests on Stages 16 and 21, it clearly failed to quash the dissatisfaction. 

These large-scale protests also saw the official podium ceremony cancelled, and riders instead celebrated in makeshift ways in the car park!

Next year’s Tour de France is planned to start in Barcelona, and local authorities have suggested that Israel—Premier Tech would be banned from participation over ties to Israel. Similarly, the Canary Islands, which are planned to host the finish of La Vuelta España, have threatened to withdraw support for the race’s finish over IPT’s participation.

Protesting has clearly worked to some degree, with the team announcing on 6^th October that they would change their name and association away from Israel.  In November, the team then announced their new name, ‘NSN Cycling Team’, in a collaboration between entertainment company Never Say Never and investment company Stoneweg. As well as changing names, the team has changed its registration nation from Israel to Switzerland, one of the countries with the richest cycling legacy, alongside Spain, France, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands. The most significant change, though, is the separation from Sylvan Adams. This gives the team an entirely new direction, with no shadow of the past. That said, the team has not been entirely clear on whether Adams will be involved in the new team, leading to speculation that this is not the completely clean split some have hoped for.

Premier Tech, the Canadian former co-sponsor of Israel-Premier Tech, has found a new home, too. They have become co-sponsors of the team formerly known as Alpecin-Deceunick (now Alpecin-Premier Tech), in what will be the third top-flight team they have co-sponsored, having also previously supported Astana – Premier Tech (now XDS Astana Team). They bring with them Canadian cyclist Hugo Houle, who has followed Premier Tech to his third team in the last 6 years, having also been at Astana.

The fact that the protests against Israel-Premier Tech worked lays the groundwork for future sports protests. Will the 2026 Cycling Season see mass outrage against UAE Team Emirates-XRG, over the UAE’s treatment of Sudan or against Bahrain over their oppression of the Shia minority and other human rights abuses?

Image: Hoebele via Wikimedia Commons