Cohen said the first he became aware of any issues about the Israeli athletes’ participation was via a WhatsApp message from the local organisers in which they raised some “red flags” about safety.
“I must tell you that I was totally in shock and really, really surprised,” he said.
“I’m coach for the last 14 years. I’ve been travelling with my athletes all over the world and this is the very first time that we met this kind of issue,” Cohen added.
Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle’s Mark Patterson Show on Friday, Ian Cullen from the North West Triathlon Club (NWTC) said the participation of the Israeli athletes in the race would be unsafe for them and potentially all those taking part.
He added that the decision involved the police, Triathlon Ireland, Europe Triathlon and the Israeli federation, and went “well above our local organising level”.
The Israeli Triathlon Association (ITA) is now considering legal action over the withdrawal of its athletes.
It said it had “extremely serious concerns about discriminatory treatment and antisemitism” over the NWTC’s stance.
Cohen said the team left Derry an hour after the ITA withdrew the athletes.
“We are athletes, we came to compete, we came to give a performance and not be eliminated because of ethnicity or nationality.”