The Israel-Prime Tech cycling training has been the target of several actions, carried out by Propalestinian demonstrators, since the start of the Vuelta.
Despite herself, the Vuelta turned into a geopolitical theater. Since the big departure of the Tour of Spain on August 23, the Propalestian demonstrations have multiplied on the roads, and in particular have been targeting the Israeli training Israel-Prime Tech. Several stages were thus disrupted by actions carried out during the race, sometimes injuring runners, as was still the case on Tuesday, when the Spanish runner Javier Romo was forced to abandon, after his fall caused by a Propaletinian demonstrator. And the individual time trial of the 18th stage, Thursday, September 11, was half reduced (from 27.2 to 12.2 km) to ensure security on the entire course.
Despite these repeated demonstrations, in a country that recognized the State of Palestine in 2024, The Israel-Prime Tech training has excluded from the race. A decision immediately praised by Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu on the social network X, who congratulated the boss of the training Sylvan Adams “not to give in to hatred and intimidation”before praising it: “You are the pride of Israel”.
An exchange that challenges the links maintained between cycling training and Israeli power. “Officially, there is no connection between Israel and the Israel-Prime Tech team. This is at least what we are told”, Advance Simon Chadwick, a recognized specialist in geopolitics of sport and Afro-Eurasian sport, and teacher at the Emlyon Business School. Created in 2015, the Israel-Prime Tech training was founded by Sylvan Adams, an Israeli-Canadian billionaire, “A relative of the Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu” According to Jean-Baptiste Guégan, specialist in sports geopolitics. The 66 year old man is Defines itself as a “self -proclaimed ambassador of Israel”, working for a decade to restore the image of Israel, “A country misunderstood because of negative media coverage”, According to his words. He nevertheless has always rejected the political dimension of its activities, preferring to describe “All this like diplomacy”, he said to AFP in 2021.
“At the start, she was not called Israel-Prime Tech, but Israel Startup Nation (and even Cycling Academy, then Israel Cycling Academy originally), explains Jean-Baptiste Guégan. Returning to the country, Sylvan Adams decided to embark on the bike. “
“He helped finance the team, a training center and also a velodrome. In 2017, he also declared that he was there to 'promote the Israel brand'. We are really in 'National Branding', in other words how to value a country.”
Jean-Baptiste Guégan, specialist in sports geopoliticsIn Franceinfo: Sport
A year later, in 2018, the first three stages of the Tour of Italy (GIRO) go to Israel, with a big departure from Jerusalem. At the same time, Benyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister since 2009, consolidates his political base and decides to do of Israel an attractive territory, in particular by betting on tourism. “He highlights Tel Aviv, and we will see many small companies develop, in the field of technology and intelligence, which will have a strong impact”, underlines Jean-Baptiste Guégan. “Before the attack on October 7, 2023, Israel was trying to Position yourself as a 'start-up nation' in the field of sports technologies. There was therefore a pole of start-ups in this area in Tel Aviv, which attracted many funding from private investors. Again, some people think that the Israeli government could be behind the financing of these start-ups, hence the name of 'start-up nation' given to Israel “, Deepens Simon Chadwick.
If cycling does not have the influence of football worldwide, the fact remains that there is “Always had attempts to stimulate economic activity, in order to create an innovative ecosystem and jobs, generate tax revenues and export income, thanks to this link with professional cycling”, Still supports this specialist in sports geopolitics.
Since its creation, if the name has been modified in 2022 to become Israel-Prime Tech, the objective remains unchanged. “The idea was to go get runners that allow training to perform (like the recruitment in 2022 of the quadruple winner of the Tour de France Christopher Froome)to develop the young sector in order to Bring out local and regional champions et may Israel be always represented in sport “, says Jean-Baptiste Guégan.
“This team was created to promote Israeli cyclists, confirms Simon Chadwick. Sylvan Adams Caterently denies working on behalf of the government, but he nevertheless emphasizes that he would like to highlight not only the talented Israeli cyclists, but also the best of Israel in general. “ Former runner of Israel-Prime Tech between 2021 and 2022, the Italian Alessandro de Marchi told, to The Observer last July : “At the time, I really didn't understand much about Israel. Team officials wanted to show the beauty of the country -it was clearly team policy -, but there were never hostile feelings in Gaza or Palestinians, nor reference to the occupation of the West Bank. There was lighter propaganda, say, who planned the image of Israel.”
“He seems to consider professional cycling and the team as an asset of soft power for Israel, in order to represent it as an attractive country and give it a positive image to the global public.”
Simon Chadwick, specialist in geopolitics of Afro-Eurasian sportIn Franceinfo: Sport
For several years, “The fact of being a leading and successful team in a global sport gives positive qualities and legitimacy not only to the team itself, but also to the nation from which it is from” still notes the researcher.
But with the reactivation of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the situation became more complex for the cycling team, which has become a target of Propalestinian demonstrators. “L'Team does not represent the positive image of Israel no longer, but simply Israel and its policy today led by Netanyahu. And therefore becomes a target, so much so that it has polarized around this training “, Note Jean-Baptiste Guégan.
Despite the multiplication of the actions carried out on the Vuelta, the Israel-Prime Tech training excluded to withdraw, while removing the name of Israel from the team's jerseys. “It is a way of saying that they are not the executive of Israel, without giving in to pressures, and of which it could have created a previous one”, points the sports geopolitician.
Although the nature of relations is not proven between the government and the cycling training, the support of Benyamin Netanyahu is not trivial, all the more in such a hot geopolitical context. “This reiterates and strengthens in a way this idea that, not only for Israel, but also for many countries, sport is a very powerful tool for diplomacy, projection of the soft power, of national brand image, image management and reputation, insists Simon Chadwick. Through professional cycling, Israel very clearly demonstrates that the country is also embarking on this path. “
Be that as it may, these events on the Vuelta will probably question the future race organizers as to the participation of this team, even though the Spanish government had requested its withdrawal. “The other question, Exhibits Jean-Baptiste Guégan, is to question these teams sponsored by states (comme UAE Team Emirates XRG ou Bahrain Victorious)who before had a very patriotic logic which today have state strategies, with a desire to build And to master the representations of the world “. The geopolitician wonders: “in cycling and sport as a whole, Do we have to continue to accept that teams and athletes are literally spokespersons of political and geopolitical strategies? “
