Jordanian and Iranian athletes are refusing to compete against an Israeli opponent at the European Kickboxing championships in Europe, citing the boycott of the Jewish state.
Ameer Asad, a 22-year-old kickboxer from the Arab Israeli town of Jatt, is currently competing at the championship in Turkey in the under-74 kilogram (163 pound) weight class.
The 2018 European champion was due to meet an opponent from Jordan this afternoon, but his opponent never showed up for the bout.
In his next match, the quarterfinal, Asad was supposed to meet Iran’s Morteza Godarzi, who also no-showed.
“There shouldn’t be politics in sport,” Asad tells Hebrew-language media. “We are coming to compete as athletes.”
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