Four Israeli triathletes due to take part in a major international event in Derry this weekend will no longer be involved after the local organising committee and triathlon club strongly objected.
The involvement of the young athletes aged between 19 and 22 in Saturday’s Europe Triathlon Cup drew condemnation from an anti war coalition, a position supported by pro-Palestinian groups.
North West Triathlon Club (NWTC), which is organising its own national event alongside the elite international competition, was not aware of the involvement of the triathletes from Israel until recent days.
Members found out when the names were among the close to 200 elite competitors published on the website of World Triathlon, the international governing body, for the sport. The names, still up on Thursday morning, have now been removed. World Triathlon was contacted for comment.
After finding out, NWTC “immediately made strong representations to Triathlon Ireland and Europe Triathlon and made clear in the strongest possible terms that it could not support their participation in the circumstances”.
In a lengthy statement, the club said it had a “responsibility to speak clearly and urgently when the safety of athletes, spectators, volunteers and the wider public — and potentially the ability of the event itself to proceed — could be placed at risk”.
The club added: “As a result of this, it has been confirmed that no Israeli athletes will race in Derry this weekend.”
The club and a local organising committee have “no role in selecting or confirming the international field for a Europe Triathlon Cup”.
“Those decisions sit within the international competition process. Our responsibility locally is to ensure that concerns affecting the safe delivery of the event are raised with the appropriate governing bodies and authorities,” the club wrote in the post on social media.
“We are pleased that the serious concerns raised by NWTC, the Local Organising Committee and others locally were listened to and treated with the gravity they required.”
NWTC said its position was not “directed at anyone because of their religion or ethnicity, nor is it hostility towards an individual simply because they were born in Israel”.
“It is a position concerning representation of the State of Israel in international sport and the attempt to present normality on the international sporting stage while Palestinians continue to suffer.
“The safety of every athlete, volunteer, spectator and member of the public has been our overriding priority throughout the organisation of the 2026 Europe Triathlon Cup.
“Our position was based on our clubs values, our members values, and on the very real concerns being raised around athlete and public safety, the potential for serious disruption and the wider risk to an event involving hundreds of competitors from Ireland and across the world.”
DUP MLA Julie Middleton said the fact the athletes were not competing was “an awful reflection on Londonderry”.
Ms Middleton said: “An international sporting event that should showcase our city’s hospitality and openness has instead become associated with the exclusion of athletes because they are Israeli.”
Alex Gandler, Spokesperson of the Embassy of Israel, said in a statement: “The decision by North West Triathlon Club (NWTC) in Londonderry to not allow Israeli athletes to compete is deeply troubling.
“Sport should bring people together, not become a vehicle for discrimination and division.
“We urge the NWTC to uphold the principles of equality, fairness and inclusion. Israeli athletes must be afforded the same right to compete as athletes from every other nationality.”
The Derry Anti War Coalition said it was “delighted that the triathletes from Israel will no longer be participating” in the triathlon in Derry.
“The organic, grass roots campaign to prevent them is a huge victory for common sense and for the BDS movement,” the coalition said, referring to the boycott, divestments, sanctions movement.
“Derry people spoke out in one unified voice and thankfully the organisers of the event have listened.”
The group earlier drew attention to Derry and Strabane council support and funding for the event. Their participation was described as flying “in the face of the corporate Council position of supporting BDS”. against Israel.
Derry and Strabane Mayor Grace Uí Niallais on Wednesday described the Europe Triathlon Cup as “a tremendous opportunity to showcase Derry on the global stage, with some of Europe’s leading triathletes competing alongside athletes from right across the globe”.
A council spokesperson said that Triathlon Ireland secured funding through the national subvention scheme, a council-managed programme to support major events.
“We were made aware of earlier concerns over a small number of entrants taking part and we would like to take this opportunity to highlight council’s support” for the BDS campaign and the ”right to peaceful protest in relation to this issue”.
Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said there was “understandable anger at the revelation that Israel would be competing”.
It was against the council’s BDS policy and the “vehement opposition of people here to genocide, the slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women and children, and its perpetrators”.
