- Fethi Nourine, 30-year-old Algerian judoka, announced his withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympic Games as Israeli rival Tohar Butbul in the second round, in the 73-kilogram low weight draw. "I don't want to get my hands dirty," he said in statements to the public television of his country, where he assured that he had no doubt. The Sudanese player made the same decision on Monday morning at the Buesa Arena.
"We have worked hard to qualify for the Olympic Games, but Palestine is more important than that. We will not recognise the flag of Israel and we will not get our hands dirty." The news has shaken social networks and has been very well received in your country.
The International Judo Federation has expelled both of them because of the decision taken.
Algerian national coach Aamar Ben Yekhlef has given explanations on Ennahar TV: "We haven't been lucky in the King's Cup draw. Fethi Nourine, an Israeli judoka, has been in charge of standing up for Judoka in the second round and that is what it has had to abandon. We refuse to normalise relations with Israel and have therefore taken the right decision," he added.
The decision and the controversy are not new. At the 2019 Jewish World Championships, the same happened when Nourine played against Israeli Butbul. There, too, he had withdrawn.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, Egyptian judoka El Shahaby refused to shake hands with Israeli judoka Sasson in the 100-kilogram category.