Suspended and accreditation withdrawn.
Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine, who forfeited the Tokyo Olympics so as not to have to face an Israeli opponent, was sanctioned by the International Judo Federation.
As a reminder, Nourine was first to face Sudanese Mohamed Abdalrasool on Monday in the first round of the under 73 kg category, before potentially fighting Israeli Tohar Butbul in the next round.
But he announced Thursday on Algerian television that he had decided to give up the tournament, explaining his decision by his support for "the Palestinian cause".
On Saturday, the IJF Executive Board announced that it had temporarily suspended the judoka as well as his trainer Amar Benikhlef.
In response, the Algerian National Olympic Committee withdrew the accreditation of the two men and indicated that they would return to Algeria.
"Solidarity as a fundamental principle"
Algeria still refuses the normalization of its relations with Israel - unlike its Moroccan neighbor - because of its very firm position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"We are not going to raise the Israeli flag and we are not getting our hands dirty, facing an Israeli!"
»Had launched Fethi Nourine, according to i24 news.
For the International Judo Federation, the decision of the Algerian judoka is "in total opposition to the philosophy" of the body.
The IJF has "a strict policy of non-discrimination and promotes solidarity as a fundamental principle".
This is not the first time that Nourine has withdrawn from a competition for these reasons.
He had also acted in this way during the 2019 Worlds in Tokyo.
Several Iranian judokas have done the same in the past, their attitude triggering strong protests. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Egyptian judoka Islam El-Shehaby refused to shake hands with his Israeli opponent, victorious at the end of the fight.
