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| Algerian judoka Nourine withdraws from Olympics to avoid facing Israeli |
| 2021-07-25 |
| [DW] The International Judo Federation confirmed on Saturday that Algerian athlete Fethi Nourine and his coach have withdrawn from the judo competition at the Tokyo Olympics to avoid facing an Israeli athlete. In a statement, the IJF said Nourine and coach, Amar Benikhlef, "gave individual statements to media announcing their withdrawal from the competition to avoid meeting an Israeli athlete during the event." "We worked a lot to reach the Olympics, but the Palestinian cause is bigger than all this," the 30-year-old Nourine told Algerian television. His statements were backed by Benikhlef, who admitted they had "not been lucky with the draw. We got an Israeli opponent and that's why we had to retire. We made the right decision." The federation said both were temporarily suspended after an investigative commission "confirmed all the facts." It added that the case was assigned to its disciplinary commission for "further investigation, judgement and final sanctioning beyond the Olympic Games." The Algerian Olympic Committee withdrew accreditation for both Nourine and Benikhlef and "plans to send them home, applying sanctions accordingly," the IJF statement said. NOT THE FIRST TIME Nourine, who was due to take part in the under-73-kilogram event, has previously pulled out of other judo competitions to avoid Israeli opposition — most recently at the World Championships in Tokyo two years ago. The phenomenon of Israeli athletes facing boycotts due to their nationality is not new. At the Tokyo Olympics, international judo was hoping to outline the progress made, but have now been hit by another public setback. The comments by the two Algerians "are in total opposition to the philosophy of the International Judo Federation. The IJF has a strict non-discrimination policy, promoting solidarity as a key principle, reinforced by the values of judo," the federation said. Athletes from other countries such as Egypt and Iran have also previously refused to compete against Israelis, with the story of Saeid Mollaei the most high-profile. Mollaei has since defected to Mongolia and could face the Israeli in question, Sagi Muki, in the semi-finals of the men's -81kg at Tokyo 2020. Related: Olympics: 2021-07-13 IOC's Bach slips up and refers to Japanese as 'Chinese' Olympics: 2021-07-10 Mitt Romney sells $23.5M home after years of backlash from neighbors Olympics: 2021-07-09 Japan bans fans at Tokyo-area Olympics venues due to virus Related: International Judo Federation: 2020-01-13 Kimia Alizadeh, Iran's only female Olympic medalist, defected from the country International Judo Federation: 2019-10-23 Judo federation announces ‘final’ suspension of Iran over refusal to face Israelis International Judo Federation: 2019-09-01 Iran blames judo chiefs, Israel, as judoka flown to Berlin from Tokyo for asylum Related: Saeid Mollaei: 2020-01-13 Kimia Alizadeh, Iran's only female Olympic medalist, defected from the country Saeid Mollaei: 2019-10-23 Judo federation announces ‘final’ suspension of Iran over refusal to face Israelis Saeid Mollaei: 2019-09-01 Iran blames judo chiefs, Israel, as judoka flown to Berlin from Tokyo for asylum |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #9 ^ They call it the Angrezi Wilayah in Islamabad. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2021-07-25 14:56 |
| #8 ^Wrong question. You should ask "Is it still England?" |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2021-07-25 13:35 |
| #7 Better than crying when they lose I think. Good lord — do they no longer teach sportsmanship in England? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2021-07-25 13:06 |
| #6 I was nine when I had my first fight. Taekwondo it was. I threw up after the fight, which I won. But the winning I don't remember. Sheesh! [smacks forehead] |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2021-07-25 11:40 |
| #4 A moslem Steven Seagal, master of threw down his hat, stomped off the mat, and shouted "I'm done with this brawl." |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2021-07-25 03:23 |
| #3 Who would participate against a South African athlete during the era of apartheid? It would be a deeply moral act. Same as apartheid Israel. These people need to be shown what they are doing is wrong, and international sport was one of the areas that hit South Africa hard. Let's do it again. |
| Posted by: Slomorong Thraiger7030 2021-07-25 03:10 |
| #2 He's just afraid of those Krav Maga moves thrown in... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2021-07-25 00:30 |
| #1 Losing to a Juice would be embarrassing. Better to bail and look like a wussie. After all, it's not like the Olympics is about sportsmanship any more. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2021-07-25 00:24 |