A Team Built for Branding
When Sylvan Adams founded Israel Start-Up Nation in 2014, he wasn’t simply creating a cycling team—he was building what he himself proudly called a vehicle for Israeli soft power. Adams, a Canadian-Israeli billionaire and self-described “ambassador for Israel,” made no secret of his intentions: the team would race under Israel’s flag across European roads, into living rooms during the Tour de France, onto the podiums of the world’s most prestigious races. It was, by his own admission, a nation-branding exercise, positioning sport as a counterweight to international criticism of Israeli policies.
But soft power has its limits. As the war in Gaza intensified in 2024 and 2025, the Israel-Premier Tech team became a lightning rod for protests. Demonstrators disrupted stages during the Vuelta a España. Over 100,000 protesters filled Madrid’s streets during the final stage. The BDS movement called for peaceful disruptions at the Tour de France. Premier Tech, the Canadian sponsor, withdrew. Eventually, Adams stepped away from the project as well—at least officially.
A New Identity
In November 2025, NSN emerged—Never Say Never—a Spanish sports and entertainment company co-founded by football legend Andrés Iniesta, backed by Swiss investment firm Stoneweg. The team is registered in Geneva with a Swiss UCI license but operates from Barcelona and Girona. The Israeli flag is gone. Adams has publicly stated he no longer holds financial stakes or operational roles.
On paper, the transformation appears complete: new ownership, new nationality, new headquarters. Three Israeli riders remain under contract—Oded Kogut, Itamar Einhorn, and Nadav Raisberg—but the structure has been rebuilt without any visible ties to Israel. Sporting director Óscar Guerrero described the transition as definitive, with Adams present at the first training camp in Dénia only as “a way to say goodbye” and ensure an orderly handover.
We note this transformation with hope—not certainty, but well-founded hope—that ties of any kind with Israel have been completely severed. Cycling deserves teams that race for sport, not as extensions of political projects. NSN has the opportunity to prove that this transformation is not cosmetic but substantive.
Eritrean Pride
And then there’s Biniam Girmay. The Eritrean sprinter, winner of the 2024 Tour de France green jersey, signed a three-year contract with NSN—a move carrying symbolic weight far beyond the peloton. For an Eritrean cyclist, representation matters deeply. Eritrea, a nation with a vibrant cycling culture but limited global visibility, sees in Girmay a rare beacon of international recognition.
As an Eritrean, I cannot help but feel a profound sense of pride and relief. Girmay’s brilliance deserves a platform free from the shadow of political controversy. Had he signed with Israel-Premier Tech, his achievements would have been perpetually entangled in debates beyond his control—his victories overshadowed by protests, his podiums accompanied by uncomfortable questions about complicity and image laundering.
That NSN emerged only after Israeli branding became untenable is obvious. But if this transformation is genuine—if the team has truly turned the page—then Girmay’s presence becomes not a moral compromise but a triumph. He can race, sprint, and win on his own terms, representing Eritrea and Africa on the world stage without being conscripted into someone else’s political project.
And the early signs are encouraging. In its new NSN guise, the team has already notched significant victories: Ethan Vernon triumphed at the Tour Down Under, while Girmay himself won the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. These successes demonstrate that beyond questions of identity and ownership, there exists a competitive squad capable of excelling at the highest levels. For Girmay, beginning the season with a win is the best of omens—proof that pure talent can shine when political distractions are set aside.
Toward Clearer Roads
Cyclists want only to race. They chase stages, sprints, and grand tours, not political debates. But sport is never apolitical, and teams are not neutral vessels. When Israel-Premier Tech raced, it carried more than jerseys and sponsors—it carried a message, one wielded by its founder as a tool of national branding amid occupation and conflict.
NSN represents, at least on paper, a clean break. The relocation of operations to Barcelona and Girona, the Geneva registration, the new Spanish and Swiss ownership: these are concrete steps. But words must be matched by deeds. The team must prove, day after day, season after season, that this was not a tactical move to placate protesters but an authentic commitment to building a sporting project free from political instrumentalization.
We wish NSN success—not because rebranding erases history, but because genuine transformation deserves recognition. And above all, we celebrate Biniam Girmay. His speed, his skill, and his smile belong to Eritrea, to Africa, to the sport itself. May he race freely, unburdened by the controversies of the past, and may his victories inspire a generation of young cyclists who see in him not just a champion, but a symbol of what sport can be when it transcends politics and embraces pure, unadulterated excellence.
The road ahead can be clear. The victories can speak for themselves. And Biniam Girmay can keep pedaling toward glory.
