An Olympic Judoka has been sent home from Tokyo after refusing to face an Israeli opponent. Fethi Nourine was set to face Tohar Butbul but instead opted to withdraw and support Palestine.
The matchup would've taken place in the second round of the men's 73kg division if Nourine beat Sudan's Mohamed Abdalrasool on Monday.
The Algerian cited his political beliefs as the reasoning prior to being suspended by the International Judo Federation. "We worked a lot to reach the Olympics," Nourine said. "But the Palestinian cause is bigger than all of this." His coach, Amar Benikhlef, added on Friday: "We were not lucky with the draw. "We got an Israeli opponent and that's why we had to retire," he explained. "We made the right decision." Nourine
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