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| Israeli cycling team vows to ‘race on’ at Vuelta a España despite disruptive protests |
| 2025-09-05 |
| [IsraelTimes] Participants warn that anti-Israel protesters interfering in race pose threat to all competitors after demonstrators cause cyclist to crash, prevent declaration of stage 11 winner. The integrity of the entire race has been threatened by anti-Israel protesters who have repeatedly interfered in the competition, members of the peloton say. Pro-Palestinian protesters on Wednesday disrupted stage 11 of the annual road race, leading judges not to award a winner for the 157.4km (98-mile) stretch of the race, which began and ended in Bilbao. “Due to some incidents at the finish line, we have decided to take the time at three kilometers before the line,” the race director announced on Radio Vuelta. “We won’t have a stage winner. We will give the points for the mountain classification and the intermediate sprint, but not on the finish line.” The disruption came a day after pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the track during stage 10, causing a member of Belgium’s Intermarché-Wanty team to crash and fall. Video footage shared on X showed Simone Petilli hit the ground as protesters chanting pro-Palestinian slogans ran onto the road; police tried to restrain them. Last week, during stage 5, around 10 protesters ran out onto the road with banners and Palestine flags in an attempt to slow down the Israeli team. In a video circulating on social media, three people can be seen holding a banner with the inscription “Neutrality is complicity. Boycott Israel” in Catalan while flanked by Palestinian flags, before being removed by race officials. In shade of Vuelta cycling race fiasco, Spanish chess tourney demands Israelis shun their flag A[IsraelTimes] Israeli chess players set to take part in an international tournament in Spain next week have been told they may not compete under Israel’s national flag and are allowed to participate only under the flag of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). Hebrew media outlets report that the organizers of the Open Sestao Basque Country competition next week have sent a letter to the seven Israelis set to participate, claiming the decision was made due to “reasons beyond our control.” “This step was agreed upon by both the chief arbiter of the competition and the Spanish Chess Federation,” the letter reportedly says. “The FIDE flag will appear both on the official draw lists and on the players’ posters.” Israeli players have called on the FIDE to intervene, reports say. The letter comes as a major cycling competition in Spain, the Vuelta a España, is being overrun by anti-Israel protesters interfering in the event, threatening the operations of the entire race. An Israeli team, Israel–Premier Tech, has faced calls to withdraw from the competition, including from the event’s organizers. But the team has declared it “remains committed to racing on.” |
| Posted by:trailing wife |