Gran Canaria’s authorities point to the turbulence seen during the 2025 Vuelta, where several stages were disrupted by protests and the race ultimately ended with an improvised podium ceremony in an underground garage in Madrid. They maintain that a cosmetic administrative change is unlikely to prevent similar situations, and that aligning the island’s image with a potentially volatile edition of the race would be unwise....Speaking to La Provincia, Aridany Romero commented: “Several months ago, both the president — Antonio Morales — and I made clear that Gran Canaria did not want its name associated with the Vuelta a Espana while Israel-Premier Tech were competing.” On the team’s proposed changes, he added: “It is an attempt to whitewash, through sport, the genocidal actions of the state of Israel.” He continued: “They put ‘Israel’ on the jersey, and now, after everything that has happened these months, they have simply reverted to their previous position,” concluding: “At heart, nothing has changed.”