Israel-Premier Tech excluded from Giro dell'Emilia 'for public safety reasons'

Israel-Premier Tech have been excluded from next Saturday’s Giro dell’Emilia for security reasons. The decision comes after Bologna city council flagged its opposition to the team’s participation in the race amid Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza.

Race director Adriano Amici of organising committee GS Emilia confirmed the news to AFP on Saturday.

“Israel-Premier Tech will unfortunately not be at the start of our race,” said Amici, who cited “public safety reasons.”

The recent Vuelta a España was repeatedly interrupted by protests against Israel-Premier Tech’s participation in the race. A mass demonstration in solidarity with Palestine led to the cancellation of the final stage and the official podium ceremony in Madrid.

Earlier this week, a number of trade unions in Italy called a general strike in solidarity with Gaza, where over 65,000 people have been killed since Israel began its invasion almost two years ago. The strike saw clashes between police and demonstrators in cities including Milan, Naples and Bologna.

On Wednesday, Bologna’s city council called for Israel-Premier Tech to be excluded from the Giro dell’Emilia, which finishes with a circuit over the Colle San Luca on the outskirts of the city.

“The climate is very heavy, and there were too many dangers for the Israel-Premier Tech riders and for the others,” Amici said. “With our final circuit to be covered five times, the possibility of the race being disrupted is very high. It’s a decision I regret having to make from a sporting point of view, but from a public safety point of view, I had no other choice.”

The decision to exclude Israel-Premier Tech was welcomed by Bologna’s sports councillor, Roberta Li Calzi.

“We believe that sport is a vehicle for universal values of sharing, fair competition, and solidarity between peoples, and we are pleased to learn that the race organisers share this view, having officially confirmed today that the Israeli team will not participate in the Giro dell’Emilia,” Li Calzi said in a statement. “I thank them for this sensitivity, which I believe is shared by a large part of our community.”

Israel-Premier Tech are also scheduled to compete at five more races in Italy next month: the Coppa Agostoni (October 5), Coppa Bernocchi (October 6), Tre Valli Varesine (October 7), Gran Piemonte (October 9) and Il Lombardia (October 11).

It is not yet clear if the organisers of those races will replicate the stance of GS Emilia and revoke Israel-Premier Tech’s invitation to their events. Israel-Premier Tech qualify automatically for the RCS Sport-organised Il Lombardia as a member of the UCI WorldTour.

Speaking in Kigali at the World Championships on Friday, UCI president David Lappartient insisted that Israel-Premier Tech would not be excluded from competition.