Israel just got pressured out of pro cycling - Now it wants to host the Tour de France

Israel - Premier Tech are no more, after the pressure from fans, race organizers, team sponsors and riders themselves to remove the state sponsorship and its owner Sylvan Adams from the team. It seemed to be the end of story for the Middle Eastern nation in the sport for the time being, however it might not be the case. Israel is seemingly preparing to make a big to host... the start of the Tour de France.

It seems to be rather hard to believe it would be the case, taking into consideration everything that's happened in the sport this year and everything that has happened on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank over the past two years. Almost 70.000 people were killed in the Gaza Strip since the events of October 7th 2023, largely civilian, whilst the widespread starvation and terrorizing of the population has almost unanimously been described as a modern day genocide.

Israel - Premier Tech had its own sponsors Premier Tech and bike supplier Factor, critical components of the team, make an ultimatum that Israel had to step away from the team. It did, seemingly having some awareness of the current geopolitical situation and what the riders and staff went through because of their association with the team. But that awareness seemingly had a limit, as Israeli Cycling Federation president Dafna Lang has admitted that he hopes the country to soon be able to host the Tour de France's start in an interview with L'Équipe.

This is based on the current ceasefire on the ground - one that continues to be threatened - and the hope it will remain as such. “I can’t tell you right now that we’re going to bid for the Tour de France or organise it, but we never stop dreaming. I can’t speak for Sylvan Adams, but I believe that once we have a stable peace, we will realize many projects at the highest level by welcoming the world," he argued. "We are very optimistic people. We’ve already brought the Giro here, so anything is possible.”