It would be news to the tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protestors that were such a feature of the recent Vuelta a España that sport isn’t political. It would come as a surprise to Russian, Belarusian riders and their teams that cycling is not political. Those taking the knee for anti-racism and Black Lives Matter, or those obeying a minute’s silence around Remembrance Day might not realise it, but they are taking part in a political act at a sporting event. Countries host events, or fund their national teams for soft power gains; political wins, from London 2012 to the Qatar World Cup.
It would be news, too, to the owners or sponsors of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Bahrain Victorious, XDS Astana, Jayco AlUla and more, that there aren’t political gains to be made from sponsoring a cycling team. Israel-Premier Tech does not have the overt connection to the state in its name that others do, but it still represents it. Its co-owner, Sylvan Adams, has previously said: “These guys ride for Israel, so they need to know the country. This is not a state project. I am, by far, the largest single contributor from the team, and we do receive a small amount from the tourism board. There is no other government funding. The home country is unambiguously Israel. We don’t have a commercial sponsor – this is our identity.”
