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ISRAELI JUDO officials received an apology from their counterparts in the United Arab Emirates after their athletes were repeatedly snubbed by the hosts at the Abu Dhabi Gold Slam tournament.
The twelve Israeli athletes at the tournament were prevented from wearing the Israeli flag or even the three-letter country code ISR.
Tal Flicker, who won gold for Israel after defeating his Azerbaijani rival in the men’s under 66 kg category, had to celebrate his victory under the flag and anthem of the International Judo Federation (IJF).
No local organisers of the tournament appeared to be on stage during the podium ceremony, with Flicker’s medal presented to him by Head Refereeing Director Juan Carlos Barcos, a Spanish national. Prize money and a floral tribute were handed out by Japan’s Takao Kawaguchi.
Flicker himself appeared to be singing Hatikvah, the national anthem of Israel, as the IFJ’s anthem was played over the tournament’s sound system.
A further four Israeli judoka took bronze at various events last week, but were not represented by the Israeli flag at the medals ceremonies.
But over the weekend Israel Judo Association President Moshe Ponte met Mohammad Bin Thaloub Al-Darei, president of the UAE Judo Federation, in a move the IJF described as “historic”.
“This was a gesture of courage, humanity and respect for the sport” said IJF President Marius Vizer, who witnessed the meeting, according to CNN. “[The UAE side] apologized because of the UAE athletes not shaking hands with the Israel athletes and also congratulated the Israel team for their success here.”
The IJF had previously called on the UAE to treat Israeli athletes equally during the tournament.
The letter to the president of the UAE Judo Federation said “all delegations, including the Israeli delegation, shall be treated absolutely equally in all aspects, without any exception.”
There are no diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.