“After a turbulent season with Astana, more peaceful days are flowing with Israel-Premier Tech,” we could read in The Press in May 2022.
Jean Bélanger, president and CEO of Premier Tech, was enthusiastic about his new association with a group where a “beautiful vibe reigned » and a strong team spirit. He didn’t know what was up his nose.
This well-started adventure ended in the most flat and dry way on Friday morning. In a press release of less than 300 words, the billionaire multinational from Rivière-du-Loup announced its decision to withdraw from co-sponsorship of the Israel-Premier Tech (IPT) cycling team, at the heart of all the controversies this year in the context of disturbing demonstrations linked to the war in Gaza.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Israel-Premier Tech team participated in the Quebec and Montreal cycling Grands Prix in a climate of high tension.
On September 23, Premier Tech publicly demanded the abandonment of the mention “Israel” in the name of the training, a new identity and the overhaul of its brand image, otherwise the company would withdraw its marbles. Bike sponsor and supplier Factor had called for the same thing the day before.
Two weeks later, IPT announced a name change and the withdrawal of its current “Israeli identity.” In its application for accession to the WorldTour with the International Cycling Union, the training is called “Cycling Academy”, a reminder of its original name when it was founded in 2015. The license would be Canadian.
Its co-owner and de facto main manager, Sylvan Adams, an Israeli native of Quebec, also expressed his intention to take “a step back” from his daily involvement in the team’s activities. By defending the actions of his country, this “self-proclaimed ambassador of Israel”, described as close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, crystallized calls for the exclusion of IPT.
These actions and “multiple discussions with team management” were not sufficient for Premier Tech, associated with IPT since 2022.
“While we have acknowledged the team’s decision to continue under a new name for the 2026 season, the very reason for our engagement with it has been eclipsed to such an extent that it is now unsustainable for Premier Tech to continue in its role as team sponsor,” the statement said.
IPT management reserved its comments on this withdrawal. “However, while sponsorship discussions continue with current and potential partners, the team remains more motivated than ever for the next season,” said a spokesperson.
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For Jean Bélanger, cycling is serious. He is an ardent practitioner, which can be seen from his slender figure. He is also passionate about racing. The involvement of his family-owned business in the world of cycling is not new. For over 30 years, Premier Tech has sponsored teams and competitions on the local, national and international stages.
Beyond his personal interest, the entrepreneur has always considered cycling as a way of uniting his “teammates”, a term identifying the 6,100 employees now spread across 31 countries. Sponsoring a professional team at the highest level – Astana from 2017 to 2021 and then Israel-Premier Tech – also represented “a way to create less serious, more playful moments with [les] customers, [les] partners, [les] suppliers,” he explained in spring 2022.
After the demonstrations that disrupted the Vuelta, where pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel protesters demanded the withdrawal of IPT, the team arrived for the Quebec and Montreal cycling Grands Prix in a climate of high tension, in September.
On the Plains of Abraham, protesters, few in number but noisy, stood near the start/finish line, on the other side of the Premier Tech hospitality tent, to shout their discontent during almost the entire race of more than five hours. For the fun aspect, we will come back.
This hasty withdrawal comes four years after the abrupt end of the Astana-Premier Tech co-ownership, against a backdrop of conflict of vision and management with the Ministry of Sports and the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation.
Owning half of the WorldTour team, the Quebec multinational had a clause giving it the option to buy back the other share held by the Astana Presidential Club of the sovereign fund Samruk-Kazyna JSC. Faced with threats of legal action, Premier Tech deemed it preferable to step aside.
After discussions with a few interested groups, Jean Bélanger finally joined Sylvan Adams’ Israel Start-Up Nation as a co-sponsor. The cyclist Hugo Houle, who became a friend during the adventure with Astana, followed.
“Like my company and like Sylvan, I am a long-term guy,” emphasized Bélanger, met with Adams in Copenhagen on the eve of the Grand Départ of the 2022 Tour de France, where Houle won the 16e stage.
PHOTO SIMON DROUIN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jean Bélanger and Sylvan Adams in 2022
“If we join forces, it’s not a one-night stand or a two- or three-year affair,” added the president of Premier Tech. It took something that could last 10, 15, 20, 25 years. A partner who had the financial capacity to support his ambition. This is certainly the case here. »
Adams, another cycling enthusiast, introduced Bélanger as a friend: “Jean and I are partners. We are partners. We will reveal more about our affairs with the team later. »
The bloody terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the deadly response of the IDF in Gaza, ardently defended by Adams in interviews, and its echo on the sporting field ended up derailing this natural alliance between these two great defenders of Canadian cycling.
Walled in silence since the gradual outbreak of the controversy, Jean Bélanger was clearly walking on eggshells, anxious to protect the brand image of this true flagship of Quebec entrepreneurship. From a business perspective, this sponsorship could become more harmful than anything else.
“We have been involved in cycling for 30 years, but we are first and foremost driven by a passion for our professions, our markets, our customers and our teammates,” it is also underlined in the press release. They are the ones who give meaning to Premier Tech’s purpose and have fueled our journey since 1923. Our desire is that each of them is proud and enthusiastic to be associated with Premier Tech, its brands, its products and its services. »
Three of the best Quebec cyclists, Houle, Guillaume Boivin and Pier-André Côté, are under contract with Cycling Academy in 2026. They preferred not to comment on the withdrawal of Premier Tech, two of them having learned of it when the press release was published. “An announcement regarding the new identity of the team and its sponsors is planned in the coming weeks,” the team said.
For its part, Premier Tech is committed to maintaining its involvement in the “development of sport and Quebec and Canadian cyclists”. Beyond political convictions, his departure from the highest level cannot be seen as anything other than a waste.
The Gee affair
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ISRAEL-PREMIER TECH
Derek Gee
IPT’s year was also marred by the hasty departure of Ontarian Derek Gee, who terminated his contract due to run until 2028. The fourth in the last Giro cited “serious concerns related to racing for the team, both in terms of safety and his personal beliefs”. He has since said that he faces a lawsuit for damages of nearly $50 million (30 million euros). His case is still before a UCI arbitrator.
