- Algerian Redouane Messaoud Dris, 22, was disqualified by the Olympic Games organizers
- He was scheduled to face Israeli wrestler Tohar Butbul at the Paris Games on Monday.
- Algerian Fethi Nourine was suspended for 10 years for refusing to fight Butbul
Israel has accused an Algerian judo competitor of deliberately skipping a weigh-in to avoid fighting his own judoka at the Paris Olympics.
Algerian Redouane Messaoud Dris, who was preparing to compete in the -73kg category against Israeli wrestler Tohar Butbul on Monday, was eliminated from the draw for exceeding the weight limits.
“Redouane Messaoud Dris has been disqualified… Dris, entered in the men’s up to 73kg event, failed to weigh in. His opponent will therefore win the scheduled bout by an easy win,” Olympic organisers confirmed in a statement on Sunday.
The Israeli Olympic Committee alleged that Dris, 22, deliberately failed to weigh himself in order to avoid his fight with Butbul.
“Tohar’s competitor has withdrawn from the competition,” they said in a statement.
Israel has accused disqualified Algerian wrestler Redouane Messaoud Dris (above, in blue) of deliberately skipping a weigh-in to avoid fighting fellow judoka Tohar Butbul at the Paris Olympics.
Butbul (above) was easily defeated after Dris failed to make weight in the men’s -73kg category.
“The Israeli delegation will continue to compete with Olympic values in mind; we believe that this type of behaviour has no place in the world of sport.”
Algerian judokas have a history of bowing out to Israeli athletes at the Olympics.
Algerian Fethi Nourine was handed a 10-year ban by the International Judo Federation in 2021 after he pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics in an attempt to avoid a potential second-round fight with Butbul.
As he walked out, Nourine said it was impossible to fight Butbul because of his support for Palestine amid its ongoing conflict with Israel.
In 2019, the International Judo Federation suspended Iran from competing internationally after judoka Saeid Mollaei revealed he was told to forfeit his semi-final rather than risk facing an Israeli in the final.
Mollaei also said he had been ordered to withdraw from the competition at an even earlier stage so as not to arouse suspicion that he had lost the fight.
Algeria’s Fethi Nourine (above) was handed a 10-year ban by the International Judo Federation in 2021 after pulling out of the Tokyo Olympics to avoid a potential fight with Butbul.
She went on to reveal that she “cannot return” to her home country as a result of speaking out, claiming that Iranian media spread lies following the incident.
“That’s why I came to Germany after the World Championships, to recover and gain perspective on what happened,” Mollaei said.
“If an athlete does not comply with these orders, he and his family are 100% sure to face problems. Even now, I don’t know what the situation is with my family.”