Israeli judoka wears yellow scrunchie for hostages in silver medal match: ‘Those who understand, will understand’

Minutes after winning a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Israeli judoka Inbar Lanir says “I’m so, so happy right now.”

“It’s a little hard to be happy after losing in the final because I always want to beat everyone, but I’m really happy,” she tells the Sport5 broadcaster. “The fact that I have the privilege to give a little happy news during this time is worth everything to me.”

Asked about wearing a bright yellow scrunchie in her hair — the color of pins calling for the return of the hostages held in Gaza — Lanir says “of course” it has meaning, “those who understand, will understand.”

Lanir says, “Since the start of the war my stomach has been in knots, I knew that the one thing I could do is to keep training and doing what I’m best at because I have the privilege to represent the country and to raise the flag all over the world — and that gave me huge motivation.”

Her yellow hair scrunchie, she says, “is to show that I’m thinking about them also today.”