Egyptian athlete who refused Israeli handshake faces disciplinary probe
Following the Israeli Olympian's victory over Arab competitor Islam El Shelby, the defeated judoka refused a traditional handshake
Justin Cohen is the News Editor at the Jewish News
The International Olympic Committee has set up a disciplinary process after an Egyptian competitor refused to shake the hand of his Israeli opponent.
Or Sasson defeated Islam El Shehaby by a point to progress to the quarter-final of the 100kg judo after dominating his fight in Rio.
However video footage showed him moving away from the Israeli as the latter put out his hand at the end of the contest, as is traditional in judo.
An IOC spokesman told the Jewish News: “The President has immediately set up a disciplinary commission to look into this incident.”
El Shehaby had previously come under pressure on social media to skip the bout, but had reportedly been warned by Egyptian authorities he risked losing his citizenship.
It comes a week after Lebanese delegates stopped the Israelis from boarding a bus they were travelling on ahead of the Opening Ceremony. The Lebanese were quickly chastised by the IOC over the incident.
DISGRACEFUL!
Egyptian refuses to shake hand of Israeli Judoka Or Sasson after being defeated by him at #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/uCbG39V9oW— SussexFriendsIsrael (@SussexFriends) August 12, 2016
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
