The Canada-Israel Davis Cup will be behind closed doors for security reasons

Miami (USA) (EFE).- The tie between Canada and Israel in Group I of the Davis Cup will be played behind closed doors on Canadian soil this weekend for security reasons and to avoid possible interruptions, the North American team reported this Tuesday, amid interruptions of other sporting events due to the presence of Israeli athletes or teams.

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“Tennis Canada acted in response to growing safety concerns. Information received from local authorities and national security agencies, combined with disruptions observed at other recent events, both in Canada and internationally, indicated a risk of significant disruption to this event,” it reports in a statement. The decision was made after consulting with the International Tennis Federation, added the Canadian team. The match, which will begin this Friday, will be played in the town of Halifax, in the eastern province of Nova Scotia, and its winner will advance to the qualifying round for the Davis Cup World Group. Tennis Canada CEO Gavin Ziv stated in the statement that playing behind closed doors “was the only way to protect the participants and preserve the event.” Resistance in Canada and the world to competitions with Israel
More than 400 Canadian personalities, including intellectuals Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis, as well as sports journalists, coaches, athletes and academics, had requested in August that the country cancel the qualifier against Israel in September due to “the genocide” in the Gaza Strip. This decision comes as other sporting events have suffered disruptions due to the presence of Israeli teams or athletes in them, as a boycott of Israel’s role in the conflict in Gaza. The cycling Vuelta a España has been forced to shorten several stages due to pro-Palestinian protests during its course because of the participation of the Israel Premier Tech team. The Israeli team subsequently removed the country’s name from their cyclists’ jerseys “to prioritize safety,” although this did not prevent the protests from continuing.