09/15/25 07:22:00
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09/15 07:21 CDT Vuelta organizers defend decision to keep Israeli team in race
after protests in Madrid finale
Vuelta organizers defend decision to keep Israeli team in race after protests
in Madrid finale
By TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer
MADRID (AP) --- Spanish Vuelta organizers on Monday defended their decision to
keep an Israel-based team in the cycling race despite pro-Palestinian protests
that ultimately provoked chaotic scenes in a disrupted finale in Madrid this
weekend.
Sunday's final stage had to be cut short after protesters threw barriers onto
the road and clashed with police near the finish line in the Spanish capital.
The Vuelta race director condemned calls for the boycott of the three-week-long
race that became a diplomatic battleground as protesters called for team Israel
Premier Tech to be expelled.
Javier Guilln said there was nothing organizers could have done regarding the
presence of the Israeli team.
"The Vuelta's position was clear, we had to abide to the norms of the
International Cycling Union. It's the UCI that regulates the right of admission
to the race," Guilln said in a news conference. "We never got into any other
type of debate. All we wanted to do was to be able to finish the race with
normalcy, and that wasn't possible."
Spain's left-wing government expressed sympathy with the protesters and
suggested Israel Premier Tech should withdraw from the race. The team removed
the team name from its uniforms but remained in the race until the end.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday criticized Spanish Prime
Minister Pedro Snchez for what he said was encouragement for the protesters.
Madrid's conservative mayor, Jos Luis Martnez-Almeida, also criticized
Snchez and described Sunday's events as a sad day for the Spanish capital.
"When you call for a boycott of the race and the race is boycotted, that
obviously hurts those who are involved in the race," Guilln said, adding that
he was not referring specifically to Snchez's comments.
Guilln noted that Israeli teams and athletes have been allowed to compete
everywhere else in the world, and that the Vuelta had no right to try to keep
it from racing in the Grand Tour event in Spain.
Guilln said the Vuelta protests will likely force authorities to look at
preventive actions ahead of other sporting events.
"After this Vuelta, the international entities will need to make decisions and
cycling will need to have some internal discussions to find solutions," he said.
Guilln said he hopes there will be solutions in place by the time next year's
Tour de France begins with a stage in Barcelona.
"Hopefully everything will be solved by then," he said. "I don't want to
speculate with any possibilities. I'm sure Barcelona will have a great Tour de
France."
Guilln said the UCI wants information about what happened during the Vuelta so
it can try to "confront the future."
The race in Spain was disrupted during several stages, with some having to be
cut short and others interrupted. Authorities said that on Sunday two people
were arrested and 22 injured, none of them seriously, in the confrontations
between police and protesters.
The central government's representative for the Madrid region said an estimated
100,000 people were on the streets during the protests.
Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard, who was leading the overall classification going
into the final stage, was declared the winner of the Vuelta but the customary
podium ceremony was canceled.
"It's a pity that such a moment of eternity was taken from us," Vingegaard
said. "Everyone has the right to protest, but not in a way that influences or
endangers our race."
The teams reportedly improvised a private podium ceremony later so riders could
celebrate.
"Everything that happened was unacceptable," Guilln said. "Obviously it was a
very sad day. We faced very, very difficult moments. The images speak for
themselves."
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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
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