Algerian Olympic athlete who shunned Israeli opponent banned
An Algerian judoka, Fethi Nourine, has been suspended and sent home from the 2020 Olympics.
He withdrew from the games when his draw put him in a position to compete against an Israeli.
Prior his suspension, Fethi Nourine, 30, said his staunch support for the Palestine cause made it impossible for him to compete against an Israeli, Tohar Butbul.
He was due to take part in the men’s under-73kg division.
He said “We worked a lot to reach the Olympics, but the Palestinian cause is bigger than all of this. We got an Israeli opponent and that’s why we had to retire. We made the right decision.”
Meanwhile, in a statement, after the Algerian Olympic Committee withdrew accreditation for both men and confirmed it would send them home, the IJF said the behaviour of both Algerians was “in total opposition to our philosophy”.
“The IJF has a strict non-discrimination policy, promoting solidarity as a key principle, reinforced by the values of judo.”
In addition, it said that a disciplinary commission would decide on further sanctions “beyond the Olympic Games”.
Israeli judokas have had their opponents withdraw or refuse to acknowledge them in time past. Egypt’s Islam El Shehaby called it quit hours after refusing to shake hands with his victorious Israeli opponent in the first round of the men’s over-100kg competition at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
In April, Iran was also slammed with a four‑year ban by the IJF for “repeated and very severe breaches” of the organisation’s statutes after pressuring one of its fighters not to face an Israeli athlete.
