Spain’s Minister of Sports, Pilar Alegría has called on international federations to ban Israeli teams from global competitions, comparing the situation to the broad exclusion of Russian sides in 2022 after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Alegría’s comments on Wednesday night came amid escalating protests in Spain over the participation of Israel-Premier Tech, a privately owned cycling team, in the ongoing Vuelta a España grand tour.
The Spanish government has described Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as “genocide.”
“It is difficult to explain the double standard,” Alegría told Cadena SER radio. “Given the massacre, the genocide, the absolutely terrible situation we are witnessing every day, I believe international federations should take the same decision as in 2022.
“No Russian club took part in competitions then, and individuals competed only under a neutral flag, without an anthem,” she noted.
Israel-Premier Tech, owned by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams has received public praise from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for continuing in the Vuelta despite fierce opposition.
Alegría said she would prefer the team to be excluded, but acknowledged that the decision rests with cycling’s world governing body, the UCI.
Protests have disrupted the Vuelta on multiple stages. Races on stages 11 and 16 were cut short, while Thursday’s stage 18 time trial was pre-emptively shortened for security reasons. Organisers fear similar unrest during Sunday’s final stage into Madrid.
Alegría stressed that while she hopes the race can finish, the demonstrations reflect genuine public sentiment.
“What we’re seeing is logical — it is a clear representation of how people feel. Sport cannot be separated from the world around it,” she said.
Spain’s Socialist-led government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been one of Europe’s most vocal supporters of the Palestinian cause, a stance that has strained ties with Israel.
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in October 2023 following a Hamas-led cross-border attack that killed 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to official figures.
Since then, more than 64,600 Palestinians, the majority civilians, have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry figures deemed credible by the United Nations.
“Children are starving, hospitals are destroyed, more than 60,000 people have been killed,” Alegría said.
“Sport must take a stand, at least as it did against Russia.”
