Israeli judoka Tohar Butbul faced no opponent in the judo competition as Algerian Messaoud Redouane Dris failed to meet weight requirements and chose to boycott for Gaza. This incident is part of a series of protests against Israeli athletes, reflecting broader tensions and heightened security measu
Israeli athlete Judoka Tohar Butbul, marched to the centre of the mat to face his opponent from Algeria in the judo competition. He waited for his opponent to arrive but Messaoud Redouane Dris did not want to compete against Israel and stepped out of the match.
The official reason for his absence is stated that Dris failed to meet the official weight requirements for the 73 kg division, surpassing the maximum by 400 grams. However, it is understood that the Algerian athlete took a stance for Gaza amidst the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Series of Instances
- This is not the first occasion of the boycott of Israeli athletes. Even days before, the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, 2024, Thomas Portes, the French Member of the Parliament expressed his dissatisfaction. He stated that the Israeli athletes ‘are not welcome at the Paris Olympics’.
- People have also expressed their fury at the participation of Israeli athletes in the Olympics 2024. Posters of “Genocide is not an Olympic Sport”, were pasted on the doors of the Paris metro.
- Aviv Barzelay bared the brunt of the public anger while she walked out for her swimming competition.
- Last week, in the football match against Mali, the national anthem was thunderously booed by the spectators.
- All the Israeli athletes who have come to the Paris Olympics have been significantly jeered by both the public as well as some of the prominent personalities including politicians.
Response of Butbul
- Speaking before the reporters, Butbul stated “Unfortunately, I already experienced this at the last Olympics against another athlete,”.
- In the Tokyo Olympics 2020, two of the athlete’s prospective opponents faced a similar situation. Fethi Nourine from Algeria and Mohamed Abdalrasool from Sudan decided to forfeit their Olympic chances rather than compete against an Israeli competitor.
- Furthermore, he stated “It’s hard because I want to fight, to express myself. It’s my job. I am an athlete. He’s a sportsman too, I’m sure he wanted to fight, he also worked hard to get to this point. But he, like the others, is the victim of decisions that are not his.”
Security of Israel athletes
- Pursuant to the death threats received by some of the Israeli athletes, their security has been made tighter.
- In contrast to athletes from other countries, a significant number of these athletes receive heightened security measures. They are accompanied by top-tier security personnel during all their events and are under constant surveillance, even within the Olympic Village.
- The Israeli team’s security is being reinforced by the Shin Bet, the country’s internal security agency. Athletes have received specific guidance on how to respond to potential provocations.
The violent actions taken by the Israeli government have not received any support from most of the world. Various countries have condemned their actions and subsequently, people have vented out their frustration and anger over the Israeli athletes.
