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ROME: Israel-Premier Tech have been excluded from the Giro dell’Emilia cycling race on October 4 in Italy for safety reasons, the organizers told AFP on Saturday.
Adriano Amici, president of GS Emilia which organizes the one-day race, said the team “will unfortunately not be present at our race. We had to make this decision for reasons of public security.”
“There’s too much danger for both the Israel Tech riders and others. The race’s final circuit is run five times so the possibility of the race being disrupted is very high.
“It’s a decision I regret having to make from a sporting perspective, but I had no other choice for public safety.”
The Giro dell’Emilia, whose 2024 edition was won by cycling superstar Tadej Pogacar, will cover 199 kilometers from Mirandola to Bologna in northern Italy.
It is a ProSeries event, road cycling’s second tier after the World Tour, and is a dress rehearsal for Il Lombardia, the final Monument of the year which takes place the following weekend.
The race concludes with a climb to the Madonna di San Luca sanctuary, not far from the historic center of Bologna which has a large student population and a long history of left-wing politics.
This week Bologna’s local government, controlled by the center-left Democratic Party (PD) called for Israel-Premier Tech’s exclusion, citing “the Israeli government as guilty of serious crimes against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.”
Roberta Li Calzi, the city’s sports councillor, welcomed the decision to exclude the team.
“Given what is happening in Gaza it would have been hypocritical to consider the presence of a team linked to this (Israeli) government as insignificant,” she said in a statement.
Four stages of this year’s Vuelta, including the finale in Madrid, had to be cut short due to mass protests against Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza and the participation in the event of the team, owned by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams.
The Premier Tech group which co-sponsors the team and is the manufacturer that supplies the riders with their bikes, wants the team to remove the world “Israel” from the name.
The war in Gaza broke out after Palestinian militants led by Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has since killed at least 65,926 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the United Nations deems reliable.

TOKYO: Carlos Alcaraz admitted his ankle injury had worried him and was on his mind as he beat Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-4, 6-3 at the Japan Open on Saturday.
The world number one hurt himself two days earlier in his opening match in Tokyo, crumpling to the ground before playing on with his ankle heavily strapped.
The Spaniard was left sweating on his fitness but he showed no evidence of discomfort as he returned to the court to beat world number 45 Bergs in front of an adoring Japanese crowd.
Alcaraz got the job done in an hour and 20 minutes and will face American Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
“I was a bit worried before the match so I just wanted to warm up and let’s see how it’s going to feel,” Alcaraz said.
“I didn’t feel anything in the ankle, so after the warm-up I decided I can go and I can play.”
Alcaraz took to the court with white strapping visible underneath the sock on his left ankle.
He did not appear to be restricted in his movement but he limped briefly after chasing a shot that won Bergs a break early in the first set.
“In some movements I’m scared about going crazy so most of the time I take it a little easy,” he said.
“Sometimes I feel a little bit the ankle, which I would say is normal.”
Alcaraz is playing in Japan for the first time and delighted the crowd with a series of leaping forehand winners, claiming the first set despite having his service broken twice.
His service was broken three times overall and he blamed his injury for his lack of accuracy.
“I think because my thoughts were on the ankle, I forgot about doing a smooth movement, smooth serve,” he said.
Alcaraz raced into an early lead in the second set but Bergs made him work hard for the victory with a gritty performance.
Alcaraz sealed the deal with a thumping forehand at the net that Bergs could not return into play.
Alcaraz will look to book his place in the semifinal when he faces world number 33 Nakashima, who beat Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 7-5, 6-3.
“I’m still taking care of the ankle and I will try to feel as good as today or even better,” said Alcaraz.
“Tomorrow is going be a great challenge that I’m really excited about, and I’m ready for that.”
Denmark’s number three seed Holger Rune also advanced, beating American qualifier Ethan Quinn 6-4, 6-2.