Israeli athletes have been instructed not to speak out on the current situation in Israel or war-related issues during the Olympic Games in Paris next summer. This directive given by the Israeli Olympic Committee aims to ensure that athletes focus solely on their performances and avoid being disrupted by anti-Israeli demonstrations.
At the end of their respective competitions, athletes will be allowed to express themselves as they wish during press conferences. The best advocacy for Israel is victory; there is none better than Hatikva (Israeli national anthem) and our flag on the podium,’ said Yael Arad, former Olympic vice-champion. President Emmanuel Macron justified on Monday the difference in treatment applied to the Olympic games between Russia, excluded as a nation for having decided on "a war of aggression" in Ukraine, and Israel, whose flag will be present, because it was not an "attacker." "Israel was the victim of a terrorist attack (...). We can disagree with that,' he said.