Scandal at the Judo European Championships Turkish woman refuses to shake her Israeli opponent’s hand
November 4, 2023, 1:56 p.m
Anti-Semitic incident at the European Judo Championships: Turkish woman Tugce Beder leaves the mat after the fight against her Israeli competitor without the usual handshake. Tamar Malca had approached her with her hand outstretched.
At the European Judo Championships in Montpellier, France, Turkish judoka Tugce Beder refused her Israeli opponent Tamar Malca the usual handshake. After Beder lost in the first round in the 48 kilogram class, Malca approached her competitor with an outstretched hand. But Beder turned away and left the mat. Malca showed these scenes in her Instagram story. There was initially no comment from Beder.
When asked, the European Judo Union (EJU) pointed out that although a bow was mandatory after the end of the fight, a handshake was not mandatory. That’s why there was no reaction from the referee. “There were no actions afterwards that would have given rise to any sanctions. The fight was hard, but it was entirely fair,” said EJU Vice President Otto Kneitinger to the German Press Agency. “The incident was not discussed further with either team; refusing to handshake doesn’t happen often in judo, but it does happen.”
Anti-Semitic incidents are not new in sports. What’s new is that a Turkish woman is attracting attention with this. The Algerian Fethi Nourine, for example, decided not to take part in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo in order to avoid a possible second-round duel against the Israeli Tohar Butbul. Nourine was subsequently banned for ten years by the World Judo Federation IJF.
Former Israeli judoka Yoel Razvozov also knows this. The now 43-year-old told Deutsche Welle two years ago: “I felt most sorry for my opponents. Just like me, they wanted to compete and win medals. I could see their tears and frustration. They were forced by their country.”
Palestinian wrestler Rabbia Khalil told dpa just this week: “How am I supposed to think about sports and talk to the Palestinian wrestling association in Ramallah about future plans when my compatriots are being killed in Gaza and fighting for their lives?” The Cologne-based martial artist added: “I assume that more and more Arab or pro-Palestinian athletes will boycott competitions if they have to compete against Israeli athletes. Athletes will also be more and more willing to accept the consequences for this.”
During the European Judo Championships, security precautions around the Israeli team were increased again, the southern French newspaper “Midi Libre” reported. The reason for this is the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7th.
2023-11-05 07:12:42
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