An Israeli athlete whose apparent support for his country’s military intervention in Gaza was called out by a Swiss broadcaster during his run at the Winter Olympics has called out the commentator for his ‘diatribe’ – after it split opinion in Cortina.
Adam Edelman is sliding at Milano-Cortina in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh events and was taking part in the former discipline when Stefan Renna questioned the IOC’s decision to greenlight his inclusion in the Games.
Renna began his commentary of Edelman’s run by sharing that he had described himself as a ‘Zionist to the core’ and that he had called the military intervention ‘the most morally just war of all time’ on social media.
The commentator, on-air for Swiss channel RTS 2, also noted that he had shared messages of support for his team-mate Ward Fawarseh during his military deployment in Gaza in 2023.
After the run, Renna earned plaudits from those who supported his position on the ‘genocide’ in Gaza and criticism from their opponents.
But Edelman urged his followers in his own message to not ‘give credence’ to the message.
Adam Edelman hit out at the ‘diatribe’ he felt had been given by a Swiss commentator during his bobsleigh run
Stefan Renna spent Edelman’s last-placed run detailing the IOC’s policy on politics in sport
‘I am aware of the diatribe the commentator directed towards the Israeli Bobsled Team on the Swiss Olympics broadcast today,’ he wrote on X.
‘I can’t help but notice the contrast: Shul Runnings is a team of 6 proud Israelis who’ve made it to the Olympic stage. No coach with us. No big program. Just a dream, grit, and unyielding pride in who we represent. Working together towards an incredible goal and crushing it. Because that’s what Israelis do.
‘I don’t think it’s possible to witness that and give any credence to the commentary. We look forward to our final 2man run and then crushing the 4man event, our specialty.’
Renna began discussing Edelman’s public position on social media as he pushed off at the Egenio Monti Centre using the athlete’s own descriptor.
‘Israeli Adam Edelman. Who has described himself as a “Zionist to the core”,’ Renna started. ‘I quote him, who has posted several messages on social media in favour of the genocide in Gaza.
‘We remind you that “genocide” is a term used by the UN commission of inquiry on the region.
‘Edelman, who notably said of the Israeli military intervention that it was, again, I quote, “the most morally just war in history.”
‘He also mocked a “Free Palestine” inscription on a wall in Lillehammer on the sidelines of a World Cup stage. And he asked his followers to send strength to Ward Fawardseh, when this member of the Israeli team, who is present here in Cortina, was engaged in an Israeli army operation in the Gaza Strip in 2023.’
After detailing his social media activity, Renna then questioned whether the athlete should be taking part in this Olympic cycle.
Edelman is competing for Israel despite his apparent support for military intervention in Gaza
‘One can therefore question his presence in Cortina during these Games, since the IOC had indicated that athletes who, I quote, “actively supported the war by participating in pro-war events, by being militarily engaged or through their activity on their social media, were not eligible to participate”,’ he added.
‘That was in the case of Russian athletes in order to authorise some of them to compete under a neutral banner. We will recall that a controversy has already broken out in this Cortina Sliding Centre, because of the refusal of a Ukrainian skeleton athlete to give up a helmet bearing the image of Ukrainian athletes killed at the front or in Russian bombardments.
‘The IOC disqualified this skeleton athlete because he infringed, according to the body, the rule on political messages at competition venues. Which shows that sport is obviously political.’
Renna’s citing of the case of Vladyslav Heraskevych, the Ukrainian athlete who endured disqualification from his event rather than give up his helmet featuring pictures of his late compatriots may have touched a nerve among the IOC, who received a hail of criticism for their late decision.
Heraskevych was disqualified hours before his participation in skeleton, after he had practised in the helmet multiple times.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry was left in tears as she described how she had met with Heraskevych in person in a bid to break the impasse between slider and governing body, and ultimately failed.
His Ukrainian team-mates in the team luge event paid tribute to his decision that evening, raising their helmets in a united gesture after finishing their final run.
‘We have other examples (of politics drifting into sport) this year in Cortina, as is the case at every edition of the Olympic Games,’ Renna finished.
‘In any case, Adam Edelman recorded the 26th and last combined time after the first two runs.’
