Eritrean Biniam Girmay hired as lead cyclist for former Israeli team

Former cycling team 'Israel-Premier Tech' was unveiled as 'Never Say Never' on Tuesday, after it was rebranded. The team took its new name from global showbusiness and sports company Never Say Never, partnered with Swiss investment platform Stoneweg.

The team’s new leading rider Eritrean Biniam Girmay attended the event alongside its co-founder and football legend Andres Iniesta.

The team had said last month it would rebrand and move away from its Israeli identity after being repeatedly targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters during the Spanish Vuelta and later excluded from a race in Italy. It will now move to Spain and it will be based in Barcelona and Girona, which is a popular hub for professional cyclists.

NSN was co-founded by footballing great Andres Iniesta, who played nearly 700 games for Barcelona and 131 times for Spain, leading it to the World Cup title in 2010. Kjell Carlström is staying on as the cycling team’s general manager.

During the Spanish Vuelta cycling race earlier this year, several stages were disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters objecting to the participation of the Israel Premier Tech team.

Spain’s government estimated that more than 100,000 people were on the streets in Madrid during the final stage.

Premier Tech is a multinational company based in Quebec, Canada. It is the title sponsor of the cycling team co-owned by Israeli Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams.