Algeria Skips US Goalball Match at Rio Paralympics to Avoid ’Israel’ Draw
Local Editor
The Algerian women's goalball team didn't show up for its first match against the US at the Paralympic Games in Rio on Friday, leading to its cancellation and triggering speculation that the absence was due to efforts to avoid a next-round draw against "Israel."
Olympic regulations ban competing teams from missing any specific game, likely leading to the Algerian decision to first skip the game against the US.
This is not the first time that competitors from Muslim nations have boycotted "Israel" at the Rio Games. Saudi Arabian judoka Joud Fahmy forfeited her first-round match against Christianne Legentil from Mauritius on August 7, in what Hebrew media said was a maneuver to avoid facing "Israeli" fighter Gili Cohen in the next round.
On the same day the head of Lebanon's Olympic Committee was summoned by the Games' organizers for a dressing down, following a kerfuffle with the "Israeli" delegation after the two teams were told to share a bus to the opening ceremony the Friday before.
Relatively, the Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby refused to shake the hand of "Israeli" rival Or Sasson after their match on August 12. When Sasson extended his hand, Shehaby backed away, shaking his head. The referee called the 34-year-old Egyptian back to the mat and obliged to him to bow; he gave a quick nod and was loudly booed as he exited.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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