Four athletes from Israel will not take part in an international triathlon in Derry on Saturday after concerns were raised over their participation, race organisers have said.
North West Triathlon Club (NWTC) said it had made “strong representations” that it could not support the participation of the Israeli athletes in the Europe Triathlon Cup.
Up to 200 athletes from around the world are due to take part in the event.
In a statement on social media, NWTC said it became aware of the potential participation of Israeli athletes only when the provisional entry list was published on the World Triathlon website.
The organisation said it had “no involvement whatsoever in accepting or approving these international entries”.
It added: “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.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, athletes representing Israel will not be participating in the City of Derry Triathlon on Saturday.
“They will not be lining up at our start line and will not be taking part in our race. There will be no Israeli representation competing at this event.”
The NWTC said their position was not “directed at anyone because of their religion or ethnicity”, but was 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.”
It added that 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”.
The Derry Anti War Coalition said the decision was a “huge victory for common sense”.
It added: “The Derry public can always be depended on to raise a collective voice against injustice and there is no greater injustice than the treatment of Palestinians.”
A statement from the Police Service of Northern Ireland said it “became aware of potential protest activity in relation to the event through social media”. – PA