- Redouane Messaoud Dris from Algeria, 22, has been disqualified by the Olympic organizers
- He was set to compete against Israeli athlete Tohar Butbul during the Paris Games on Monday
- Fethi Nourine, also from Algeria, received a 10-year ban for refusing to compete against Butbul
Israel has claimed that Algerian judo competitor Redouane Messaoud Dris intentionally failed a weigh-in to avoid facing their judoka at the Paris Olympics.
Dris, who was prepared to contest in the -73kg category against Tohar Butbul, has been withdrawn due to exceeding the weight limit.
‘Redouane Messaoud Dris has been disqualified… Dris, entered in the men’s -73 kg event, failed the weigh-in. Therefore his opponent will win the scheduled contest by walkover,’ confirmed the Olympic organizers in a statement on Sunday.
The Israeli Olympic Committee has asserted that Dris, at age 22, deliberately skipped the weigh-in to avoid a match against Butbul.
‘Tohar’s opponent has opted out of the competition,’ they stated.
Redouane Messaoud Dris (shown above in blue) has been accused by Israel of intentionally missing the weigh-in to avoid fighting Tohar Butbul at the Paris Olympics.
Butbul (above) received a walkover after Dris missed weight in the men’s -73kg category.
‘The Israeli delegation will continue to uphold Olympic values; we believe such conduct is unacceptable in sports.’
There is a precedent for Algerian judokas withdrawing from matches against Israeli competitors in past Olympic Games.
In 2021, Fethi Nourine from Algeria was given a 10-year ban by the International Judo Federation after opting out of the Tokyo Olympics to avoid a match against Butbul.
After withdrawing, Nourine expressed his inability to fight Butbul due to his support for Palestine amidst the ongoing conflict with Israel.
In 2019, Iran was suspended from international competition by the International Judo Federation after judoka Saeid Mollaei disclosed that he was instructed to throw his semi-final match rather than risk facing an Israeli in the final.
Mollaei revealed that he had been directed to withdraw from the competition at an earlier stage to avoid suspicion of manipulating the match.
Fethi Nourine (above) was given a 10-year ban by the International Judo Federation in 2021 after withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics to avoid a potential matchup against Butbul.
He later indicated that he ‘could not return’ home due to speaking out, stating that falsehoods were circulated by Iranian media following the incident.
‘This is why I came to Germany after the World Championships, to heal and gain perspective on what had transpired,’ Mollaei shared.
‘If an athlete disobeys these orders, he and his family can expect severe consequences. Even now, I am uncertain about my family’s safety.’
