Bytagand the publication "Israel-Premier Tech becomes NSN Cycling Team… under Swiss flag"
It's official: the Israel-Premier Tech team is disappearing from the WorldTour peloton. On Thursday evening, the team announced its new identity for 2026: it will be called NSN Cycling Team and will now race under a Swiss license. This name change comes after a tense season.
Heavily criticized this year, particularly during the Vuelta where pro-Palestinian demonstrations regularly targeted the team against the backdrop of the conflict in Gaza, Israel-Premier Tech had already warned: it was going to turn the page on its Israeli identity.
The situation unfolded rapidly in recent weeks. In early November, co-title sponsor Premier Tech (a Canadian group) withdrew with immediate effect, deeming it "untenable" to continue associating its image with the team. The long-time owner, Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, agreed to step back and no longer speak on behalf of the team.
NSN and Stoneweg take control
The new entity was born from a joint venture between NSN (Never Say Never), an international sports and entertainment company whose co-founder is none other than FC Barcelona legend Andrés Iniesta, and Stoneweg, an investment platform based in Geneva.
The press release specifies that the team will be of Swiss nationality, but that its operational structure will remain Spanish, with its bases in Barcelona and Girona (Catalonia).
It remains to be seen whether this change of identity will be enough to ease the tensions that marked the 2025 season and whether the new NSN Cycling Team will manage to restore calm to the peloton. One thing is certain: a controversial chapter in professional cycling has definitively come to a close.
An admission of weakness, a Pandora's box has been opened to all forms of protest! What will the future reasons be? Certain lobbies will have no difficulty finding them!
I largely agree with you.