Israel - Premier Tech change name for Canadian races amid fears of legal action

The pressure surrounding Israel - Premier Tech at the Vuelta a España has now spilled across the Atlantic. After weeks of protests in Spain demanding the removal of the team from the final grand tour of the season, the controversy has followed them to Canada, where they are set to race the GP of Québec and the GP de Montréal this weekend. The squad will line up under the acronym IPT, wearing the same neutral kit they have been using in the latter part of the Vuelta, stripped of references to Israel. The news was first reported by Velo.

Joseph Limare, director of the organizing committee for both Canadian WorldTour races, confirmed that the team itself made the request to compete under the shortened name. “The team itself requested to appear as IPT in the registration lists, leaving aside any allusion to the country,” Limare explained. In the official documents, the squad is listed without a flag and without its full title.

The decision is striking given the Canadian influence within the structure of the team. Premier Tech, the co-title sponsor, is a major Canadian company, while Canadian cycling legend Steve Bauer holds a place on the board of directors. Despite this, the team, headed by owner Sylvan Adams, will take to the start line in the understated Monogram jersey. This kit displays only the “P” of Premier Tech alongside the Star of David, with no direct mention of Israel.

The controversy comes on the heels of a Vuelta dominated by protest action. Demonstrators in Spain repeatedly targeted the squad, ensuring that media coverage of the race often focused as much on geopolitics as on sport. Until this summer, the team had faced only isolated criticism during the Tour de France, but the ongoing war in Gaza has made them a central point of contention in international cycling. Now, human rights organizations in Canada are also voicing opposition. According to CBC, some groups have warned that they could pursue legal avenues if Israel - Premier Tech is not barred from Sunday’s GP Montréal. The prospect of renewed protests looms large as the team attempts to shift the spotlight back to the racing.