Due to multiple security issues exacerbated by the Iron Sword War, the Israeli weightlifting team will not fly to the Olympic Criteria competition in Doha, Qatar next month.
The competition in Qatar, scheduled to kick off on Dec. 2, is the second and final competition on the Grand Prix Tour, which gives a score to the world rankings from which athletes left for the Paris Olympic Games, but major security issues and a problematic destination caused the cancellation of the trip.
The team that was supposed to take part in the competition included Nicole Rubanovich and Celia Gould in the under-71 weight category. David Litvinov who competes in the weight category over 109 kg, and Artur Mogordov (up to 102 kg). Only recently, just before the war, the same delegation participated in the World Championships in Saudi Arabia.
Celia Gould. You will not travel to Qatar, photo: Oren Aharoni
Despite the absence from the competition, the door to the Israeli team's participation in the Olympic Games in Paris next year has not yet been closed. The lifters will have to outdo themselves in two competitions they have left to earn points - the European Championships in Turkey in mid-February and the World Cup in early April in Thailand.
This is not the only big problem Qatar faces Israeli sports ahead of the Olympics. In February, the emirate is scheduled to host the World Water Championships, which is the last opportunity in a number of sports to reach Paris, and it is not yet known what will happen to the participation of the Israeli athletes, which is certain, fans and journalists from Israel will not be there.
David Litvinov. The road has become harder, photo: Oren Aharoni
The hottest sports articles and updates on your Telegram
Did we make a mistake? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us