Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine has been banned from competition for 10 years by the International Judo Federation after his withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics to avoid a potential bout against an Israeli opponent.
Nourine’s coach, IJF Hall of Famer Amar
Benikhlef, also received a 10-year ban Monday.
Nourine withdrew from the Tokyo Games on the
opening day after learning he could potentially face Olympic bronze medalist
Tohar Butbul in the second round of men’s lightweight competition at the
Budokan. Nourine and Benikhlef told Algerian media they quit to express support
for Palestinians.
The Algerian Olympic committee withdrew both
men’s accreditations and sent them home. After an investigation, the IJF issued
a ban that effectively ends the competitive career of the 30-year-old Nourine,
a three-time gold medalist in the African Judo Championships.
“It is evident that the two Algerian judoka,
with malicious intent, have used the Olympic Games as a platform for protest
and promotion of political and religious propaganda, which is a clear and
serious breach of the IJF Statutes, the IJF Code of Ethics and the Olympic
Charter,” the IJF said in a statement. “Therefore, no other penalty than a
severe suspension can be imposed in this case.”
The 39-year-old Benikhlef won a silver medal
at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Butbul advanced to the round of 16 without a
bout in the 73-kilogram division in Tokyo because of the withdrawals of Nourine
and Sudan’s Mohamed Abdalrasool, who also quit the tournament before fighting
Butbul. Abdalrasool claimed he had an injury, but Butbul and the Israeli team
didn’t believe it, citing the fact Abdalrasool weighed in for the bout one day
earlier.
Butbul was eliminated in the quarterfinals of
his weight class, but he was a member of the Israeli team that won a bronze
medal in the first-ever mixed team competition.
The governing body of judo has been firm in
its antidiscrimination policies and strong support of Israel’s right to compete
in recent years.
In April, the IJF suspended Iran for four
years because the nation refused to allow its fighters to face Israelis. The
IJF said Iran’s policies were revealed when former Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei
claimed he was ordered to lose in the semifinals of the 2019 world
championships in Tokyo to avoid potentially facing Israeli world champion Sagi
Muki in the finals.
Mollaei received asylum in Germany and
citizenship in Mongolia. He won a silver medal representing Mongolia at the
Tokyo Olympics.
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