A Green councillor in Warwick has called on the government to ban Israel from competing in UK sporting events, ahead of the 2027 World Bowls Championship in Leamington Spa.
A total of 27 nations have qualified to take part in the championship, which is set to take place next July, with Israel among the field.
However, in a video posted this week, Rebecca Davidson, the cabinet member for equality, diversity and inclusion on Warwick District Council, urged ministers to prevent Israeli competitors’ involvement.
Davidson said that she has written to Matt Weston, the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, six times to request that he press the government to “ban Israel from competing in any sporting or cultural events that take place in our country while they continue to commit a genocide against Palestinian people”.
In one of Davidson’s six letters, she wrote: “We do not want to see an Israeli flag flown in our town whilst children are being murdered every day by the Israeli government. Please speak up on this issue. Your weight as an MP might help the organisers take action.”
In her video, she continued: “I am once again publicly asking that you write to [Andy Burnham] and demand that the UK Government ban any countries that are committing crimes against humanity or genocide from competing in international sporting events or cultural events that take place in the UK...
“As a portfolio holder, I will continue working hard for our local groups such as Justice for Palestinians and keep talking to residents who have lived experiences to find the best way forward that works for our residents.”
Davidson also met with organisers of the champions, The World Bowls Tour (WBT), where she asked them to guarantee that, if allowed to participate, Israelis would compete as “neutral athletes,” similarly to Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympics.
“As a cabinet member I met with the... organisers to ask that the Israeli team compete as neutral athletes much as the Russian athletes have been doing since the invasion of Ukraine,” she said.
“At this meeting we had a representative from UK Sport - the agency that the Labour government instructs - who made it abundantly clear that the government has mandated that UK Sport cannot discriminate between any participants based solely on their nationality, even if their nation is committing a genocide.”
The JC understands that UK Sport does not have the authority to ban the Israeli athletes from the event.
The row follows a similar campaign by Norfolk's branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Norfolk PSC) in 2024, which aimed to stop the Israelis attending the following year’s indoor bowls championship, which was being held in Hopton-on-Sea.
On that occasion, the WBT complied with the request, saying: “The WBT Board, in consultation with our event partners and other relevant stakeholders, has made the difficult decision to withdraw the invitation for Israel to participate in the forthcoming World Indoor Championships.”
“[The decision] was not taken lightly and has been made in the best interests of the event's success and integrity. Bowls is, and always has been, a sport that unites people and this choice reflects our commitment to protecting the championships and ensuring they run smoothly for everyone involved.”
The decision prompted the Board of Deputies to issue a statement of condemnation. “We are appalled at the decision of the directors of the WBT to exclude Israeli participants from the upcoming World Indoor Championships.
“There can be no justification for this overt act of discrimination against Israeli participants, who are excluded solely on the basis of their nationality, which may be a breach of applicable equalities legislation.
But the WBT ultimately overturned the decision following the backlash, with its board member Jason Parkinson telling BBC Sport: “At the end of the day, it's a sporting event and everybody here is here to play sport.”
World Bowls, the Greens and Weston have been contacted by the JC.
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