Lebanese Olympians Refuse Riding in Bus with ’Israelis’

Local Editor

Members of the Lebanese delegation to the 2016 Olympic Games refused to travel on the same bus with "Israeli" participants in Rio on Friday, with some attempting to block athletes from entering the vehicle, according to a report by an "Israeli" trainer who claimed to have witnessed the scene.

"The bus driver opened the door, but this time the head of the Lebanese delegation blocked the aisle and entrance. The organizers wanted to avoid an international and physical incident and sent us away to a different bus," Udi Gal, the "Israeli" sailing team trainer, wrote in a Facebook post Friday.

So far, the participating sides have not issued any official response to the reported incident.

The Olympic organizing committee has not yet offered any statement about the incident either.

The 2016 Rio Olympics kicked off on Friday with fireworks and laser lit choreography at Rio De Janeiro's Macarena Stadium.

The first gold medal should be awarded on Saturday in shooting.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team