Calls to ban Israel from international sport because of the Israel-Hamas war have grown ever louder in recent weeks, with a new petition gathering significant backing, a letter in the European Parliament and a row between Israeli and Irish basketballers posing serious questions for major sporting events and organizations.
The petition, by ‘The Democracy in Europe Movement 2025’, calls on Israel to be suspended from sports and has gained over 70,000 signatures, as of February 16. And, with the Paris Olympics starting in July and Israel’s male footballers facing playoffs in March to qualify for June’s European Championship in Germany, sporting administrators are under pressure to make a decision.
One of the co-organizers of the petition, Katarina Pijetlovic, believes it is time bodies such the International Olympic Committee (IOC), world football’s governing body FIFA and their European equivalent UEFA stepped in.
