An Israeli judoka who won gold at a competition quietly sang his national anthem to himself during the medal ceremony after organisers refused to play the music or raise his country’s flag.
Tal Flicker, ranked world number one in the men’s under-66 kilogram competition, won gold on Thursday at the Judo Grand-Slam in Abu Dhabi.
But as he took to the podium to accept his medal, the tournament organisers played the official music of the International Judo Federation (IJF) and raised the IJF’s flag.
He could be seen on the podium apparently mouthing the words to the Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem.
Flicker was forced to compete under the IJF flag after the United Arab Emirates banned Israeli athletes from wearing their country’s symbols on uniforms, and singled Israel out with a ban on displaying its flag or playing its anthem during events.
This week’s incident came after the IJF demanded that the UAE treat Israeli athletes equally.
A letter from the IJF to the president of the UAE Judo Federation, obtained by The Associated Press, said that “all delegations, including the Israeli delegation, shall be treated absolutely equally in all aspects, without any exception”.
