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Conflict in the stadium: The 10 biggest snubs of Israelis in international sports

Published August 16th, 2016 - 01:23 GMT

Sports are meant to be a reprieve from reality - a refuge from politics where sportsmanship and competition trump all else. Though much of the time sports can stay separate from world affairs, exceptional events have caused both to intersect frequently as international conflicts spill over into the arenas and stadiums of sporting events.

Perhaps no one knows this intersection better than Israeli athletes, who regularly face opposition to their participation in international sports. The worst came in 1972, when members of the Israeli Olympic team was kidnapped and later killed during the games in Munich, Germany - a brutal massacre that has been etched into the history of the games.

Since then, Israeli athletes have been snubbed frequently in international sports, to the point where it’s almost expected for controversy to arise when they participate in the Olympics, Champions League, or others. In light of the recent controversy surrounding Israeli athletes in Rio, we've put together a list of 10 ten surprising sports snubs in Israel's athletic history.

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Jude Fahmy

Joud Fahmy, a Saudi judoka competing in the 2016 Olympic games claimed injury at the competition’s outset - and subsequently avoiding fighting her Israeli counterpart. Though the official Saudi explanation was a training injury, many athletes from the Arab World have used similar excuses to avoid competing with Israeli athletes previously.

Ora Sasson and Egypt

Ora Sasson, Israeli judoka and bronze medalist at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, was denied a handshake by his Egyptian competitor after beating him. Though a handshake is not mandatory, Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby was later sent back home to Egypt for unsportsmanlike conduct.

judoka Arash Miresmaeli

2016 wasn’t the only time Israeli Judo made its way into the headlines. At the 2004 games in Athens Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeli allegedly went on an eating binge to quickly gain weight and disqualify himself instead of facing an Israeli opponent.

Celtic football team

Irish football club Celtic is set to play Hapoel Beersheva from the Israeli league in the Champions League this year - and officials are terrified. Why? A large portion of Celtic fans are pro-Palestinian, and have made plans to greet the Israeli side in Ireland with Palestinian flags. Such actions are forbidden by FIFA, and might lead to reprimand.

Asain cup

Issues with Israel and global football are well known, but perhaps nothing illustrates it better than the 1964 AFC Asian Cup that was hosted in Israel. Of 15 qualified teams only 3 showed up - and Israel won its only international cup in just three wins.

Ehsan Ghaem Maghami

The problem of Israel’s lack of recognition extends beyond athletics and into even the cerebral sport of Chess. Iranian Chess grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem Maghami chose not to attend his scheduled match against Israeli Eliahu Shvidler in a competition in Switzerland earlier this year - a protest against normalization of relations with Israel.

Muhammid Hamida

And it’s not just grandmasters: 10 year old Muhammid Hamida of Tunisia was disqualified from the World School Chess Championship after refusing to compete against an Israeli child in 2012.

Israel morocco boycott

In May 2016, Israel received another snub - this time at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in May 2016. The Moroccan wheelchair tennis team did not show up to play their match against the Israeli team, forfeiting the match. Though no official reason was given, its highly likely that the no-show was political.

U-21 UEFA Israel 2013

In 2013, Israel hosted the UEFA U-21 football competition despite outcry from a large number of fans and players who signed a controversial petition asking for the games to be moved. Though up to 62 famous footballers signed the petition the games went on without incident, and there were no “snubs” at the tournament.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo, the most expensive footballer in history, is notable for his charitable operations in Palestine and his apparent support of the Palestinian cause. When Portugal played Israel in Haifa back in 2012, Ronaldo left the pitch immediately after the game and didn’t do the traditional shirt swap with Israeli players.

Jude Fahmy
Ora Sasson and Egypt
judoka Arash Miresmaeli
Celtic football team
Asain cup
Ehsan Ghaem Maghami
Muhammid Hamida
Israel morocco boycott
U-21 UEFA Israel 2013
Cristiano Ronaldo
Jude Fahmy
Joud Fahmy, a Saudi judoka competing in the 2016 Olympic games claimed injury at the competition’s outset - and subsequently avoiding fighting her Israeli counterpart. Though the official Saudi explanation was a training injury, many athletes from the Arab World have used similar excuses to avoid competing with Israeli athletes previously.
Ora Sasson and Egypt
Ora Sasson, Israeli judoka and bronze medalist at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, was denied a handshake by his Egyptian competitor after beating him. Though a handshake is not mandatory, Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby was later sent back home to Egypt for unsportsmanlike conduct.
judoka Arash Miresmaeli
2016 wasn’t the only time Israeli Judo made its way into the headlines. At the 2004 games in Athens Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeli allegedly went on an eating binge to quickly gain weight and disqualify himself instead of facing an Israeli opponent.
Celtic football team
Irish football club Celtic is set to play Hapoel Beersheva from the Israeli league in the Champions League this year - and officials are terrified. Why? A large portion of Celtic fans are pro-Palestinian, and have made plans to greet the Israeli side in Ireland with Palestinian flags. Such actions are forbidden by FIFA, and might lead to reprimand.
Asain cup
Issues with Israel and global football are well known, but perhaps nothing illustrates it better than the 1964 AFC Asian Cup that was hosted in Israel. Of 15 qualified teams only 3 showed up - and Israel won its only international cup in just three wins.
Ehsan Ghaem Maghami
The problem of Israel’s lack of recognition extends beyond athletics and into even the cerebral sport of Chess. Iranian Chess grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem Maghami chose not to attend his scheduled match against Israeli Eliahu Shvidler in a competition in Switzerland earlier this year - a protest against normalization of relations with Israel.
Muhammid Hamida
And it’s not just grandmasters: 10 year old Muhammid Hamida of Tunisia was disqualified from the World School Chess Championship after refusing to compete against an Israeli child in 2012.
Israel morocco boycott
In May 2016, Israel received another snub - this time at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in May 2016. The Moroccan wheelchair tennis team did not show up to play their match against the Israeli team, forfeiting the match. Though no official reason was given, its highly likely that the no-show was political.
U-21 UEFA Israel 2013
In 2013, Israel hosted the UEFA U-21 football competition despite outcry from a large number of fans and players who signed a controversial petition asking for the games to be moved. Though up to 62 famous footballers signed the petition the games went on without incident, and there were no “snubs” at the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, the most expensive footballer in history, is notable for his charitable operations in Palestine and his apparent support of the Palestinian cause. When Portugal played Israel in Haifa back in 2012, Ronaldo left the pitch immediately after the game and didn’t do the traditional shirt swap with Israeli players.

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