State-funded teams

Three of the men’s Worldtour teams are state-run outfits, meaning they receive money from nation states seeking to raise their countries’ profiles. The motivation might be to strengthen the country’s presence in the business market, improve its image globally, or to increase its popularity as a tourist destination.

Astana became the first such team in modern cycling when a coalition of state-owned companies from Kazakhstan founded the team in 2007, naming it after Astana, the country’s capital since 1997. The team, ever-present in the Worldtour since 2009, has had many successes but has also been beset by doping issues. Historically, 30% of the team has been filled by Kazakh riders. In 2017, two Gulf nations, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, invested substantial sums into creating Worldtour teams. Bahrain Victorious has an annual budget of around €35m and is the personal project of the state’s prince, Sheikh Nasser, who competes in Ironman triathlons. UAE-TEAM Emirates, meanwhile, boast a yearly budget in excess of €50m. Both countries are regularly accused of human rights violations, and of using sponsorship as a vehicle to enhance their international reputations, AKA ‘sportswashing’. Israel-premiertech is not state-owned, but is instead mostly bankrolled by Israeli-canadian billionaire and philanthropist Sylvan Adams. He was hugely influential in bringing the Giro d’italia’s Grande Partenza to the country in 2018. The team are bracing themselves for protests at races over the ongoing military action in Gaza.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is in discussions about investing in the Onecycling project, a proposed new cycling league. Al-ula, a tourism resort, became co-title sponsors of former Greenedge Australian men’s and women’s teams in 2023. Meanwhile, Saudi Telecom controversially bought a 9.9% stake in Telefónica in September, the Spanish parent company of Movistar, highprofile sponsor of men’s and women’s Worldtour teams.