UCI chief says Israeli athletes are welcome amid boycott calls

Lappartient said: “We are not a tool for sanctions, we are a tool in the service of an ideal of bringing people together with the unifying power of sport”
He dismissed questions about double standards despite the UCI’s ban on Russian and Belarusian teams from events over Russia’s war in Ukraine

KIGALI: The world cycling governing body (UCI) will continue to welcome Israeli athletes at its competitions despite calls for sporting boycotts, UCI president David Lappartient declared on Friday, saying sport should unite rather than punish.
Lappartient, who was re-elected the body’s president for a third four-year term at the UCI Congress on Thursday, was speaking on the sidelines of the World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.
Earlier this week, a UN Commission of Inquiry said in a report that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza — an accusation that Israel has dismissed — and called for Israel’s suspension from international football, but Lappartient said the UCI would not go down that path.
“It is perfectly normal for them to be here, because we believe — and I am speaking on behalf of the UCI but I could almost say that these are also Olympic values — that sport is not a tool for punishment,” he told reporters.

’NOT A TOOL FOR SANCTIONS’
Lappartient, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), added: “The IOC has confirmed our position.
“We are not a tool for sanctions, we are a tool in the service of an ideal of bringing people together with the unifying power of sport, with the aim of promoting peace.

And peace does not come through exclusion.
“So yes, Israeli athletes are welcome, just as Palestinian athletes are welcome when we host them at our competitions, just like all athletes from around the world.