Israeli judokas begin participation in Abu Dhabi

Six Israelis will take part in the opening day at the judo Grand Slam in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Shira Rishony (under-48kg category), Noa Minsker (under48kg), Gili Cohen (under-52kg), Daniel Ben-David (under-60kg), Tal Flicker (under-66kg) and Baruch Shmailov (under-66kg) will all compete under the flag of the International Judo Federation, despite the letter sent by IJF president Marius Vizer to the organizers on Monday demanding that the “Israeli delegation shall be treated absolutely equally in all aspects.”

The organizers claimed that due to security reasons the Israelis can’t have their flag on their judo uniform and instead of having ISR (Israel) by their names on the scoreboard and on their backs, they will have to take part as representatives of the IJF.

The delegation, numbering 12 athletes, arrived in Abu Dhabi via Amman, Jordan on Tuesday, a day later than scheduled. The judokas waited for seven hours at Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday, only to return home frustrated after being told that they can’t pick up their visas in Istanbul, Turkey, as they were initially told. ISRAELI JUDOKA Ori Sasson was drawn to face Bekmurod Oltiboev of Uzbekistan in his first bout at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, with the over-100 kilogram competition to be held in the final day of the event on Saturday.

“We have received the warmest welcome possible and are being treated like kings,” said Israel Judo Association chairman Moshe Ponte, who is hoping to emulate the success registered in Abu Dhabi two years ago when Yarden Gerbi and Sagi Muki each claimed a bronze medal. “Despite all the noise surrounding our participation, we aren’t forgetting that we are here as athletes.”