Lawrence Ostlere
The Independent / July 30, 2024
Israel’s presence at the 2024 Olympic Games has become a highly charged subject.
Israeli judokas are being snubbed by rivals at the Paris Olympics, with two athletes refusing the traditional handshake that is considered an important show of respect, while an Algerian competitor has been accused of deliberately failing a weigh-in to avoid a contest entirely.
Nurali Emomali of Tajikistan took to the mat for his bout with Israel’s Barch Shmailov, but walked off without shaking hands after winning their contest. Emomali’s snub followed Morocco’s Abderrahmane Boushita, who also refused to shake hands with Shmailov.
Judo’s governing body is meanwhile investigating why Algeria’s Messaoud Redouane Dris failed the weigh-in for his under-73kg bout with Israel’s Tohar Butbul, saying athletes can become “victims of broader political disputes”. Algeria is one of the 28 UN member states which does not recognize Israel.
The International Judo Federation said Dris arrived for the weight control session 10 minutes before the deadline and was found to be 400 grams over the allowed limit to compete on Monday.
The head of Israel’s Olympic Committee, Yael Arad, branded it a “disgrace” and called for the North African delegation to be punished. Algerian media and the delegation sponsor hailed Dris, while Butbul sent out a message of peace.
“I respect him,” Butbul said of Dris. “He’s a very good judoka. He’s a very good athlete. I wish maybe sometime we would have peace in the Middle East so I could go to training in Algeria, and he can go to training in Israel, and we can go to the tatami together and do the fight. Maybe sometime I can shake his hand.
“I think the Algerian athletes and all the Muslim athletes cannot go to the fight with Israeli athletes,” Butbul said. “I think they are the victims in this thing. They won’t let them compete, even though they are athletes. I really wanted to do the fight with him, and it’s not happened. Maybe next Olympics we will meet again, and we can do it.”
Amid cheers and some boos, Israel’s Butbul came on to the tatami at the Champs de Mars Arena dojo bowing, as is the custom, to where his opponent should have been before leaving to prepare for his second round match later in the morning.
Israel’s presence at the Games has become a highly charged subject following the country’s invasion of Gaza, which came in response to the attacks by Islamist group Hamas on 7 October.
There are around 90 Israeli athletes in Paris who are being escorted by additional security to and from venues. French police are currently investigating death threats received by Israeli athletes over the weekend.
Lawrence Ostlere – Senior Sports Writer & Deputy Editor
Additional reporting by Reuters
