Japan’s judo stars look to calm nation’s angst

TOKYO: This homegrown sport on the openingday of the Olympics might be the event that could give the Japanese public something to celebrate at these Games.

Naohisa Takato (men’s 60 kg) and Funa Tonaki (women’s 48 kg) both can make their nation proud by claiming Japan’s first gold medals of these games. The Japanese media has focused heavily on the opening-day Judokas under the assumption strong showings might sway citizens into supporting the Olympic Games. The Nippon Budokan is a revered arena that has crowned countless martial arts champions since it opened in 1964 with the first Olympic Judo tournament. The Budokan will be mostly empty because of pandemic restrictions, but all of Japan will be watching. The medals will be awarded at the end of a session aired during USA Network’s all-day coverage.

Algeria’snourinewithdrawstoavoidfacingisraeli opponent: An Algerian judoka has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics before his event starts, ater the draw set him on course for a possible match-up against an Israeli.

Fethi Nourine told Algerian TV that his political support for the Palestinian cause made it impossible for him to compete against Tohar Butbul.

“We worked a lot to reach the Olympics, and the news came as a shock, a thunder,” he told the channel late on Thursday. Nourine said his decision was “final,” and he would not “get his hands dirty.”

The 30-year-old was due to face Sudan’s Mohamed Abdalrasool on Monday for his first match in the men’s 73 kg class. A victory would have paired him with Butbul - who has a first-round bye - in the next round. It is not the first time that Nourine has withdrawn from competition to avoid facing an Israeli opponent. He pulled out of the 2019 world championships in Tokyo for the same reason.

“We were unlucky with the draw. We got an Israeli opponent and that’s why we had to retire. We made the right decision,” Nourine’s coach Amar Ben Yaklif was quoted as saying in Algerian media.

Athletes from other countries, including Iran and Egypt, have also previously refused to compete against Israelis.