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From the Liveblog of Monday, August 5, 2024

Taekwondo medalist Avishag Semberg set to face Saudi athlete at Olympics

By Amy Spiro

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5 August 2024, 5:24 pm 1 Edit

Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel

Israel's Avishag Semberg celebrates after defeating Turkey's Rukiye Yıldırım to win a bronze medal during the women's 49kg taekwondo match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, on Saturday, July 24, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP/Themba Hadebe).

Returning taekwondo medalist Avishag Semberg will face Saudi athlete Dunya Abutaleb in her first match in the women’s under-49kg weight class at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Wednesday, according to the brackets released today.

In the past, Saudi athletes have refused to face Israeli competitors in international competitions, including the Olympics. Tensions are particularly high at the moment against the backdrop of the ongoing Israeli war against Hamas in Gaza. Last week, an Algerian judoka showed up overweight to his weigh-in, forfeiting his match against Israel’s Tohar Butbul.

Semberg could potentially face opponents from Iran, Tunisia, Morocco or Turkey in future rounds.

At the Tokyo Games four years ago, Israeli judoka Raz Hershko made history when she faced off against and later embraced Saudi opponent Tahani Al-Qahtani.