JTA - The head of the Judo Federation in the United Arab Emirates apologized after one of the country’s athletes refused to shake the hand of his Israeli opponent.
Meanwhile, three more Israelis won medals in the Grand Slam tournament in Abu Dhabi but were not able to celebrate with their country’s flag or national anthem during the award ceremonies.
Mohammad Bin Thaloub Al-Darei, president of the UAE’s Judo Federation, and Aref Al-Awani, a senior UAE sports official, apologized to Israeli Judo Association head Moshe Ponte on Saturday after UAE athlete Rashad Almashjari refused to shake the hand of the winner, Israeli judoka Tohar Butbul, in the first round of the men’s lightweight category. Butbul won a bronze medal in the competition.
Mr. PONTE, Israel Judo Assoc. President, Mr. Marius VIZER, IJF President, H.E AL DAREI, UAE Judo Pres. shared a positive discussion today. pic.twitter.com/39O2IXSl8e
— Int. Judo Federation (@IntJudoFed) October 28, 2017
International Judo Federation president Marius Vizer called the apology a “gesture of courage,” and said he thought the Israeli team had been treated “very well” and with “high respect” during the tournament, Times of Israel reported. Israel does not have diplomatic relations with the UAE
Three more Israeli athletes won bronze medals on Saturday, bringing the total medal count at the event to five.
In addition to Butbul’s bronze medal, Or Sasson won the bronze medal in the over 100 kilogram category and Peter Paltchik also won a bronze Saturday in the men’s under 100 kilograms category. Sasson had won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, during that competition an Egyptian judoka refused to shake his hand at the end of a match.
The athletes all competed in the uniform of the International Judo Federation and received their medals medal under an IJF flag while the anthem of the federation was played.
“As you can see I don’t have the flag,” Or Sasson told reporters Saturday after taking third place, referring to his uniform. “But my heart is always, always with the state of Israel. I hope I made you proud and I will always continue to represent you with pride.”
When Tal Flicker stood on the podium to receive his gold medal in the men’s under-145 pound category on Thursday, he sang the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah” as the international federation’s anthem was played. The same day, Gili Cohen won a bronze medal in the women’s under-114 pounds category.
Earlier this month, Israeli team members were informed that they would not be permitted to compete under any Israeli symbols, claiming it was for security reasons. Two years ago, eight Israelis competed under similar conditions during the same event in Abu Dhabi.
On Wednesday, the International Judo Federation ordered the UAE to treat Israeli athletes equally during the tournament.
An Israeli, Tal Flicker, wins gold in Judo in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi refuses to show an Israeli flag or play the Hatikvah. Up on the gold medal podium, while they awkwardly play the national anthem of the International Judo Federation, Tal sings the Hatikvah. "Flicker said later that he made up his mind to sing his own “Hatikvah” on the podium from “the moment that I won the gold.”“Israel is my country, and I’m proud to be Israeli,” he said, speaking to Channel 2 news from his hotel room. “The anthem that they played of the world federation was just background noise,” he said. “I was singing ‘Hatikvah’ from my heart."
Posted by Ari Hart on Thursday, October 26, 2017