The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Israel Premier Tech cycling team announced a series of steps that would distance the team from its Israeli identity.
She added, "Among these steps, the team will change its name and remove the name Israel from it."
Meanwhile, the team's founder, Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams, announced that he would suspend his daily activities.
According to the official broadcaster, this move "comes against the backdrop of a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and protests during the prestigious Vuelta a España, and the cancellation of the Israeli team's participation in several prestigious races in Italy."
"Based on our unwavering commitment to our riders, staff, and prestigious partners, the decision has been made to change the team's name and rebrand it with a new identity, far removed from its current Israeli identity," the Israeli team said in a statement.
The Israel Premier Tech team justified its decision by saying, "In the world of sports, progress sometimes requires sacrifices, and this step is necessary to ensure the team's future."
For its part, the private Israeli Channel 12 described the team's decision as an "earthquake in the Israeli cycling world," noting that the team had removed the word "Israel" from its cyclists' jerseys on September 6, due to widespread protests against it at the Vuelta a España.
She noted that the team had replaced the name "Israel" with the "Star of David," according to what the Broadcasting Authority reported at the time, before deciding to change its name on Monday.
On September 3, the Israel Premier Tech team was unable to complete a race in the Vuelta a España after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters descended on the race course.
According to a previous report by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, the pro-Palestinian protests included repeated raids on the race course, closing it, and raising Palestinian flags, in an unprecedented scene.
The Authority quoted Tzadok Yehezkeli, the media director for the Israel Premier Tech team, as saying, "More than 10,000 demonstrators blocked the road in protest against the Israeli team's participation and in support of the Palestinians."
"Bilbao (the largest Basque city) witnessed a scene we have never seen before. The entire city was dominated by supporters of Palestine, waving Palestinian flags and anti-Israel banners," Yehezkeli added.
The organization described the protest at the time as "the largest anti-Israel demonstration ever at a sporting event."
She said that what happened during the competition in Spain "further threatens the continued participation of Israeli teams and athletes in major sporting competitions around the world."
This comes as part of a series of protests taking place in several European cities around the world, denouncing the war of extermination Israel has been waging in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Since October 7 , 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving 67,160 martyrs and 169,679 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 460 Palestinians, including 154 children.
