Israeli jiu-jitsu fighter Yoav Manor remained calm despite the dramatic confrontation.
By World Israel News Staff
A Kuwaiti athlete refused to shake an Israeli competitor’s hand and verbally berated the fellow jiu-jitsu athlete at an international competition in Abu Dhabi, even leaving the medal ceremony rather than being photographed alongside the athlete from the Jewish state.
The drama unfolded last week during the under-77 kilogram medal ceremony at the AJP Tour in the United Arab Emirates, when gold medal winner Jassem Al-Hatem refused to shake the hand of bronze medalist Yoav Manor during the podium ceremony.
A clip that quickly went viral on social media showed Al-Hatem appearing furious as he refused to acknowledge Manor’s outstretched hand before storming away from the podium while calling the Israeli athlete a “child killer,” according to witnesses.
Unfazed by the confrontation, Manor then posed for pictures with German silver medalist Aram Lazar, who appeared visibly confused by the drama before embracing the Israeli competitor and posing for photographs with him.
Jassem Al-Hatem’s unsportsmanlike behavior quickly generated headlines across the Middle East and Israel, but the Kuwaiti athlete later took to social media to defend his actions, claiming that refusing to acknowledge the Israeli competitor was part of his Muslim faith.
“As a Muslim, you must have principles… We do not [compete] with these types. We do not respect these types,” Al-Hatem said in an Arabic-language post published on his social media accounts.
“As Kuwaitis, we do not respect them at all,” he added.
In a statement to the Hebrew-language outlet Ynet, the Israeli delegation praised the Emirati organizers of the competition and commended Manor for remaining calm throughout the incident.
“Despite the tension, the organizers and Emirati hosts tried to calm the situation and persuade the Kuwaiti competitor to take part in the medal ceremony, but he chose to leave the podium area,” the delegation said.
“Yoav, for his part, remained focused on the sporting achievement: a bronze medal at a prestigious international competition, after an impressive day of bouts against opponents from around the world.”
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