Late on Wednesday night, Spanish Sports Minister Pilar Alegria emphasized a “double standard” by saying that Israeli teams should be prohibited from participating in sports, just as Russian teams were generally barred in 2022 following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Spain, whose government has referred to Israel’s offensive in Gaza as “a genocide,” has seen massive protests in response to the participation of a team called Israel-Premier Tech in the Vuelta a Espana cycling grand tour.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Israel-Premier Tech, a private company controlled by wealthy Israeli-Canadian real estate tycoon Sylvan Adams, for continuing to play in the Vuelta in spite of strong opposition.
Alegria told Spanish radio station Cadena SER, “No Russian team or club competed in an international competition, and when they did, they did so under a neutral flag and without a national anthem.”
Although Alegria acknowledged that only the cycling world governing body, UCI, could make such a decision, she stated that she would prefer the Vuelta organizers to exclude Israel-Premier Tech from competing.
Stages 11 and 16 of the Vuelta have been curtailed during racing due to protests, and Thursday’s stage 18 time trial has also been shortened beforehand for security reasons.
Alegria expressed her hope that the race can be finished, despite the fact that numerous protesters are anticipated to target the last stage as it heads into Madrid on Sunday.
“It wouldn’t be good news if the race couldn’t be completed.” However, I think the protests that are taking place right now have sense. Sport cannot be separated from the world around it, and the protests are a clear reflection of that sentiment,” she continued.
The left-leaning coalition administration of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has strained relations with Israel by adopting one of Europe’s most adamant pro-Palestinian positions.
According to an AFP calculation of official numbers, Israel began its Gaza offensive in October 2023 in reprisal for an unprecedented cross-border incursion by Palestinian militant group Hamas that killed 1,219 individuals, the most of them were civilians.
According to estimates from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN says are trustworthy, Israel’s shelling has killed at least 64,600 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians.
“Israel has destroyed hospitals, starved children and babies, and killed over 60,000 people.” In light of this, it is crucial that sport adopt a stance that is at least comparable to that which it took against Russia,” Alegria continued.
