From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 28, 2024
Israeli Judoka to skip his first bout after Algerian rival disqualifies himself
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
Israeli judoka Tohar Butbul will advance automatically tomorrow to the round of 16 in the men’s under-73kg weight class after his opponent in the initial round, Algeria’s Messaoud Redouane Dris, disqualifies himself from the competition.
Dris, who reportedly was always planning to pull out of the competition rather than face the Israeli, shows up for his weigh-in tonight at 73.4kg, over the limit for the weight class, and is therefore disqualified. Dris can be punished by the International Judo Federation if he intentionally backed out of the match for political reasons.
In a statement, the Olympic Committee of Israel says, “The Israeli delegation will continue to compete with the Olympic values in mind. We believe this kind of behavior has no place in the world of sport.”
