Israeli sports teams are increasingly facing boycotts over their country’s genocidal treatment of Palestinians.
Cycling
The presence of the Israel Premier Tech team in Spain’s the huge national cycling event called La Vuelta, has triggered mounting protests over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said “We have to send a message to Israel and the Israeli society that Europe and Israel can only have normal relations when human rights are respected,”
Montreal protest group asks mayor to exclude Israel cycling team from Grand Prix
A Montreal-based group has asked Mayor Valérie Plante to bar the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team from competing in the Grand Prix de Montréal on Sunday.
Palestinian and Jewish Unity, or PAJU, is urging the city to exclude the squad, whose Canadian-Israeli co-owner, Sylvan Adams, has described the riders as ambassadors for Israel. Although, in the face of recent protests, the team has since described itself merely as a “professional cycling team.”
Baseball
Three parties in the Rotterdam city council have requested a debate about the arrival of the Israeli national baseball team in the city. They want the team to be banned from the city due to the ongoing situation in Gaza. They are urging the baseball club Neptunus and Mayor Carola Schouten to block Israel’s participation in the European Baseball Championship in Rotterdam.
According to the organizations, it is “unacceptable that a country being sued for genocide in Gaza by the International Court of Justice is welcomed in our city.” They further claim that “Israeli sports teams often consist of, or are connected to, members of the Israeli military, which is directly involved in war crimes.”
Soccer
A “STOP KILLING CHILDREN” banner was rolled out before a Super Cup match in France. over its response to Israel’s killing of a beloved Palestinian footballer.
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) president Aleksander Čeferin was asked by journalists why Russia is banned from UEFA events but Israel is not. “This is a legitimate question,” Čeferin replied.
Israel’s Maccabi Haifa team’s match against Rakow Poland had to be played in neutral Hungary instead of Israel one week after Polish fans in Rakow showed a banner in Polish saying Israel was murdering people.
Israel’s national soccer team is facing calls for the team to be suspended from international competition because of the war in Gaza. “We are in a very complicated situation.” said Israel’s coach. Israel is set to visit Italy on Oct. 14 in Udine, although the town’s mayor, Alberto Felice De Toni, has called for the game to be postponed due to security concerns.
Chess
One of the longest-running chess tournaments in Spain sparked reactions this week after organizers tried to ban Israeli players and prevent them from competing under their national flag. Following backlash from players, media, and warnings from FIDE, the organizers reversed their decision.
Tennis
Tennis Canada blinked in the face of a wide campaign against hosting the Israeli team for a Davis Cup match in Halifax.
Over 400 Canadian athletes signed a petition urging Tennis Canada to cancel the event. Star Canadian tennisman Felix Auger-Aliassime has pulled out of the tournament after his participation had been widely announced in the promotional materials.
The City of Halifax even pulled its funding for the event. In August, the Halifax council had approved $50,000 in funding for the matches at the Scotiabank Centre as it is considered a tourism event, despite protesters opposing the decision.
A city spokesman told CBC News in an email on Tuesday that the funding has been cancelled because the event no longer delivers “the tourism, economic and other benefits that would have been expected had it proceeded as originally planned.”
A growing trend
The 1995 Palestinian call to boycott Israel, known as BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement) was in part inspired by the knowledge that South Africa under apartheid was subjected to a variety of international boycotts, including on sporting contacts. Many observers think that the international boycott of South African sports teams from international competition was one of the turning points in international opinion on Souoth Africa.
Will the increasing trend to boycott Israeli sports teams have the same effect?
Canada Talks Israel Palestine is the weekly newsletter of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion about Canada’s response to the Israel/Palestine issue with a focus on the truth, clear analysis and human rights for all. Readers with different points of view are invited to make comment.
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Canada Talks Israel/Palestine 
Concerning The Davis Cup tennis match, yes indeed Canada did blink.
No spectators, no City of Halifax funds, but you can watch the games live-streamed. September 9, 2025).
And, best of all, the reason: “In its response, Tennis Canada said it “acknowledges the ongoing and deeply complex situation in the Middle East…and reiterates that …”The safety of all players, supporters and tournament staff is always paramount, and Tennis Canada considered a range of detailed security advice before coming to this decision,” the federation said in a statement.”
BUT…you can watch it live-streamed.
Thank you Zimsuzieq,
Tennis Canada hid behind the security threat idea but no such threat was reported by eithere RCMP or Halifax police.
The real threat was to the reputation of Tennis Canada and the City of Halifax. The Palestinian call to boycott Israel is now more than 10 years but has mostly been ignored up until now. The genocide in Gaza is making the Israeli name toxic, and it threatens to poison the names of those who collaborate with it.
We do hang out with the wrong crowd, don’t we?
I am reminded of a comment by the late South African MP, Helen Suzman, concerning her time in South Africa’s Parliament;
“…How often have I sat in Parliament and watched a shiver go up and down those green benches looking for a spine to crawl up.”