Spanish sports minister calls to ban Israeli cycling team from La Vuelta, security doubled for final stage

Spanish sports minister Pilar Alegría has called for Israeli teams to be banned from international competition, comparing it with sanctions imposed on Russian sport in 2022. Her remarks come amid mounting protests in Spain over the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team at the Vuelta a España. “It is difficult to explain and understand that there is a double standard,” Alegría told Cadena SER radio. “Given that there has been such a massacre, a genocide, such an absolutely terrible situation we are living through day-by-day, I would agree that the international federations and committees should take the same decision as in 2022.” She recalled that following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “No team, no club from Russia participated in an international competition, and when the individuals participated they did it under a neutral flag and without a national anthem.” The presence of Israel-Premier Tech, a private outfit owned by Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams, has triggered multiple protests. Despite being a club team, it has been publicly commended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for staying in the race. Alegría said she would like organisers to exclude the team but admitted the decision lies with cycling’s governing body, UCI. Protests have already forced organisers to shorten stages 11 and 16, while Thursday’s stage 18 time trial was reduced for security reasons. “It would not be good news if the race cannot finish,” Alegría said. However, she described the same as “logical,” adding: “(The protests) are a clear representation of what the people feel, sport cannot be distanced from the world that surrounds it.” Madrid authorities have meanwhile ramped up security ahead of Sunday’s concluding stage, which runs 111 kilometres from Alalpardo to the capital. “The municipal police will have nearly 800 personnel deployed... the initial plan was for approximately 500 officers for the route in the city of Madrid, about 40 kilometres long,” said Inma Sanz, Madrid’s first deputy mayor, as quoted by AFP. The deployment, almost double the original number, comes on top of 1,100 national police officers assigned to prevent disruptions. Protesters have previously interrupted the race, storming the course and causing crashes. Spain’s government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has taken one of Europe’s strongest pro-Palestinian positions. “(Israel) have killed more than 60,000 people, children, babies starving to death, hospitals destroyed,” Alegría said. “So it is important that sport, given this situation, takes a position at least similar to what it did against Russia.”