Businessman and philanthropist Sylvan Adams, “self-appointed ambassador-at-large” for the State of Israel, has dedicated himself to the mission of strengthening Israel’s global image. He is the owner of Israel’s UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) professional cycling team, Israel-Premier Tech, which competes in cycling’s biggest race, the Tour de France; IPT (Israel Premier Tech) cycling team will be there again this July for the third consecutive year, competing in front of a TV audience of over two billion viewers.
Next week, at the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York on June 5, Sylvan will participate in a one-on-one interview with Editor-in-Chief Avi Mayer.
Adams, who was recently honored to light the official Independence Day torch on behalf of the Jews of the Diaspora at Israel’s 75th Independence Day celebration, will be speaking about strengthening Israel’s global image and countering antisemitism in the world through massive international sport and cultural events. He will also be addressing Israel’s foreign policy and the opportunities provided by the Abraham Accords.
Adams has promoted Israel's image in the world
Since his aliyah from Canada in 2016, Adams has promoted Israel’s image in the world by showcasing the country, and promoting massive sporting and cultural events that present the positive face of the Jewish state.
Adams arranged Israel’s hosting of the 2018 Giro d’Italia Grande Partenza (Big Start), the first three stages of the Grand Tour bicycle race, seen by over a billion television viewers; brought Madonna to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv in 2019, which achieved a record TV audience of 280 million; and sponsored Israel’s hosting of the French Super Cup (Trophée des Champions) in Tel Aviv this past July between Paris Saint-Germain and NC Nantes, which brought soccer superstars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Sergio Ramos to the Holy Land, and was seen by over 400 million fans. His cycling team is the first from Israel in any sport to compete at the highest level of its sport, including the Tour de France. Adams also brought the Middle East Ironman championships to Israel, which will celebrate its second edition in 2023.
While advocating for Israel to the outside world is Adams’ signature activity, he has also been a major benefactor in supporting excellence in healthcare and education in Israel. In 2022, Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital inaugurated the Sylvan Adams Emergency Hospital, the world’s largest and most modern emergency hospital facility. The Save a Child’s Heart program, which offers life-saving heart surgery to Israeli and Palestinian children, as well as children from developing nations, is housed at the Sylvan Adams Children’s Hospital at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. Adams is also behind the Sylvan Adams cellular research lab at Shamir Medical Center near Rishon Lezion.
Additionally, the Adams Fellowships program, created by his parents, offers full scholarships to doctoral students in the sciences. The Sylvan Adams Bonei Zion prizes, which he sponsors annually, honors achievements from olim from English-speaking countries.
Adams believes sports can play an essential role in uniting an increasingly fractured Israeli society. We see when Israel succeeds in sports internationally, for example at world championships and Olympic Games, that the country is entirely united in rooting for our athletes. To that end, Adams has supported Israel’s sports infrastructure with the Sylvan Adams National Velodrome in Tel Aviv, the state-of-the-art Sylvan Adams gymnasium at the iconic Jerusalem International YMCA, the Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute at Tel Aviv University, and the soon-to-be-completed Sylvan Adams Sports Center at Ben-Gurion University, among his many philanthropic initiatives in Israel.
Adams’ motto is: “I’m JUST. GETTING. STARTED.” As such, he is continually planning new projects and initiatives.