Our governments have long been aware of the importance of sport to the national psyche.

More than 80% of Australians acknowledge that sport provides them with an enormous sense of national pride as we are seen as a small country that “punches above its weight” on the international stage and in hosting world-class international sporting events.

A prime example of this was the economic, moral and social capital made from Sydney hosting the 2000 Olympics which is still touted as the best Olympic games ever. Adelaide’s leg of the UCI’s (Union Cyclist Internationale) international tours, the Tour Down Under (TDU) has been touted as the best cycling event in the Southern Hemisphere. But for how much longer? This event may not be remembered as fondly as the Sydney Olympics. Its reputation is being tarnished by the presence of the Israel-Premier Tech team sportswashing Israel’s crimes during a genocide.

The Australian Government has allowed this Israeli-branded team into Australia to race in the TDU for the last three years despite one of I-PT’s owners, Sylvan Adams, openly and repeatedly stating he is using international cycling events to present a positive view of Israel, in other words to distract from Israel’s crimes. It is interesting to note that Adams is a Canadian Israeli billionaire who is taking on an increasingly political role in international affairs. He attended Trump’s inauguration and is frequently referred to as Israel’s “unofficial ambassador” to the world, and particularly the US. In June 2025, he encouraged Trump to attack Iran in a public letter declaring This is your Churchillian moment. Help rid the world of this scourge. A few days later Trump attacked Iran.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are well aware of the dire situation in Gaza, yet have placed no sanctions on Israel. In the recent past, they have had no difficulty in swiftly sanctioning and denying visas to citizens of many countries. Why not Israelis? Allowing an Israeli-branded team to enter the country as ambassadors for Israel during a televised genocide of the Palestinian people is a high stakes game for Albanese and Wong, both in the short term and for their historical legacy. A total of 300,000 Australians walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge is just the tip of the iceberg of public sentiment on this issue.

Increasingly, the campaign to sanction the Israeli-branded team is receiving high-level support. A prominent cyclist who rode with I-PT in 2021 and 2022, Alessandro de Marchi, has stated he would not make the decision to ride for the team now. He is disappointed that, despite protests against the Israeli team, the UCI has kept mute on the war against the Palestinians. He said in an Observer article that, “We need to see real action from our governing body to position the cycling world on the right side and show awareness of what’s going on in Gaza. We must show that as a cycling world we care about human rights and international law violations.” Perhaps our government should take heed of De Marchi’s words.

The Australian Friends of Palestine Association and its Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions group have protested the presence of an Israeli team since their first appearance in 2022. In January 2025, 13 separate protests were organised in South Australia, plus a Sydney cycling group, Cyclists 4 Palestine, organised an action in the centre of that city for the last day of the TDU 2025.

We have and will continue to raise awareness locally, nationally, and internationally that Israel is using world-class cycling events to sportswash their crimes. We will call on Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to deny visas to Israeli-branded cyclists with great urgency as the Israeli-created famine starves the trapped people of Gaza. If the government allows the Israeli team and/or their owners into Australia for TDU 2026, it is inevitable that the people of Adelaide and sympathisers interstate will increase their protest actions.

For Australians, the TDU should be an occasion for national pride and not a time of shame. We must ensure that iconic Australian sporting events are not used by political ideologies like Zionism.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.