You know that old saying, “Karma’s a b—-ch”? Well, an antisemitic athlete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris learned it the hard way earlier this week.
Bad sport Nurali Emomali from Tajikistan refused to shake hands with Israeli judo competitor Baruch Shmailov and shouted “Allah Akbar”. Nurali ended up with a dislocated shoulder crying on the mat. Olympic levels of karma. #Olympics pic.twitter.com/rLrzXAkW8C
— Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) July 28, 2024
Tajikistani judoka Nurali Emomali refused to shake hands with his Israeli opponent, Baruch Shmailov — as is customary — after Emomali won the match on Sunday in the round of 16.
Instead, Emomali stalked off the mat after first declaring “Allahu Akbar” while pointing upwards with his right index finger in what is known as the Islamic “Finger of Tawheed” proclaiming Allah as the One God and Muhammad as his prophet.
But it seems the One God had a different plan for the “bad sport,” as he was referred to by pro-Israel StandWithUs executive director Michael Dickson.
Shortly after the incident in a match against Japanese Olympian Hifumi Abe, Emomali found himself slammed to the ground with such force that he dislocated his shoulder as he hit the mat. The pain was such that Emomali was in tears and had to be carried out by staff.
Sadly, antisemitism has been in full view during this year’s Summer Olympics.
Algerian judoka Messaoud Redouane Dris deliberately disqualified himself by showing up for Sunday’s weigh-in 400 grams overweight, so as to avoid facing Israeli opponent, Tohar Butbul, in their match scheduled for Monday.
As a result, Butbul automatically moved ahead to the next round.
The International Judo Federation (IJF) said in a statement issued Monday that “this kind of incident can occur at any competition,” but noted that politics may also have played a role.
“The IJF firmly upholds the principles of fair play, the Olympic spirit and non-discrimination. We believe that sport should remain a realm of integrity and fairness, free from the influences of international conflicts.
“Unfortunately, athletes often become victims of broader political disputes which are against the values of sport,” the IJF said.
“In accordance with the Sport Organization Rules of the IJF, any athlete who fails to make weight during the official weight control is disqualified from the competition.
“We cannot provide justification for the overweight status of Mr Dris but we remain committed to ensuring that all athletes compete under equal and fair conditions.
“Following the Olympic Games, a full review and investigation of the situation will be conducted and further action will be taken if needed,” the IJF pledged.
The Israeli Olympic delegation was accompanied to the event with a full security contingent in light of the serious threats faced by the athletes from those whose hate for Jews and Israel is more dangerous.
