Olympics
At Paris 2024, Israeli and Palestinian athletes joust over Gaza war
As Israeli and Palestinian judoists hit the tatami mats at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, the war raging in their homeland was at the front of their minds.
Two athletes – one from each side – fought and lost to separate opponents.
But once defeated, they gave different messages that highlighted how personal it was for competitors, and how difficult it has been for the organisers to create an Olympic truce after 10 months of conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza.
“I think here at the Olympics, we are here to make peace, but if you are making war in our country and want to make peace here, it’s like you have two faces,” Feras Badawi, one of eight Palestinian athletes at the Games, told reporters having just lost his first round match in the under 81 kg category against Tajik Somon Makhmadbekov.
He said he could never compete against Israeli athletes or shake their hands amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza that has seen at least 39,400 Palestinians killed since Israel unleashed its offensive against Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people.
Minutes later, in the women’s under 63 kg category, Israeli judoka Gili Sharir was also contemplating her defeat to reigning French Olympic champion Clarisse Agbegnenou, but like Badawi faced questions about the broader political context.
“We can’t ignore what’s going on, we can use it to our advantage. I believe in Israel, I love Israel and it was an honour for me to fight with the Israeli flag on my chest,” Sharir, one of the 88 Israeli athletes in Paris.
She said that as an Israeli athlete she was used to people not shaking her hand, but wished sport could take precedence over politics.
The exchanges at the Champs de Mars arena came after an Algerian judoka was disqualified from a potential match-up with an Israeli on Monday and were the latest example of how the conflict has cast a shadow behind the scenes at the start of Olympics.
The expectations ahead of the Games were that there could be widespread protests on the margins. At events where Israeli athletes competed the concern was that there could be significant actions displaying anti-Israeli sentiment, but that has been sporadic.
Palestinian flags have been waved. Some banners have called for a “Free Palestine” or accused Israel of genocide – a charge Israel rejects.
There have been some vitriolic chants at soccer matches and French prosecutors have opened an investigation into death threats against Israeli athletes, a worrying turn of events 52 years after 11 Israelis were killed at the Munich Games in 1972.
TIT FOR TAT
Verbal jousts have mostly emanated from the respective officials of both delegations as they seek to defend their corners.
At the opening ceremony, Palestinian athletes wore political symbols on their jackets, drawing a rebuke from Israeli officials, who said they had broken the Olympic charter.
From the outset the Palestinian Olympic Committee (POC) sent letters to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Football Federation asking for Israel to be suspended over the war, which it said equated to Russia’s suspension over its assault on Ukraine.
On Tuesday, POC chief Jibril Rajoub, who spent 17 years in Israeli prisons, lambasted what he called the IOC’s double standards for not responding to his letters and ignoring its own charter as he outlined the heavy toll the war had taken on Palestinian athletes.
He accused some Israeli athletes of glorifying the war on social media and in particular targeted Israel’s judoka flagbearer Peter Paltchik over a media post.
“Is he qualified in such a global, international, peaceful, humanitarian event to raise a flag?” Rajoub told reporters. “They should raise a red card to Israel.”
The Israeli embassy in Paris dismissed Rajoub’s accusations calling it a “smear campaign” to “discredit and hurt him using lies and deception”.
At the Israeli Olympic Committee, officials did not mince their words. Speaking to Reuters, Yael Arad described Rajoub as a “convicted terrorist”.
“You know, people can choose who they want to cheer but it’s an outrageous disgrace to use the arena for political or much more for attacks of the Israeli athletes,” she said.
“But we choose to see the good side. We choose to see the Israeli flag which is the biggest and strongest brand of Israel. When we see it we think about prevailing (after) Oct. 7,” the former Olympic judoka said.
-Reuters
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will begin their campaign for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games from the second round of the African qualifiers after being granted a bye in the opening stage.
The draw, conducted on Wednesday in Cairo by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), placed Nigeria among 29 higher-ranked teams exempted from the first round of the series.
The Super Falcons will take on the winner of the first-round clash between South Sudan and Comoros in their opening fixture of the qualifiers.
A total of 35 nations are competing for just two available slots allocated to Africa for the women’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, underlining the intensity and high stakes of the qualification process.
The qualifiers will be contested over five knockout rounds on a home-and-away basis, leaving little room for error as teams battle for continental representation on the global stage.
The first round involves the six lowest-ranked teams—Sudan, Mauritius, Djibouti, South Sudan, Madagascar and Comoros—based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings. Winners from this stage will advance to face each other again before the 29 seeded teams, including Nigeria, enter the fray.
Nigeria will be aiming to consolidate their status among Africa’s elite women’s football nations, having qualified for the most recent Olympic tournament alongside Zambia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Although the Super Falcons boast a notable Olympic pedigree, having made their debut at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and subsequently appearing at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024, qualification has not always been easy.
The 16-year gap between their last two participations in Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024 illustrates the tough time they have endured in the qualifying series.
With the women’s football event at Los Angeles 2028 set to feature 16 teams—including hosts the United States—Nigeria’s path to qualification is expected to be demanding.
Attention will now shift to the preliminary encounter between South Sudan and Comoros, as Nigeria’s technical crew intensify preparations ahead of their second-round entry point.
For the Super Falcons, the mission is clear: successfully navigate a rigorous qualifying campaign and secure a return to the Olympic stage in 2028.
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Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will on Wednesday discover their route to the football event of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles when the Confederation of African Football conducts the official draw in Cairo.
The draw ceremony, scheduled for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, will set in motion Africa’s qualifying campaign for the women’s football tournament of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
A total of 35 countries, including Nigeria, will participate in the race for just two tickets allocated to Africa for the Olympic football event, which will take place from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Alongside Nigeria, other contenders include continental heavyweights such as South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Zambia, as well as a wide range of emerging nations from across the continent.
The full list of participating teams also features Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
According to CAF, the qualification series will be played over five rounds, gradually narrowing the field to the two teams that will fly Africa’s flag at the Olympics in the United States.
For Nigeria, Africa’s most successful women’s national team, the qualifiers present another opportunity to reaffirm their continental dominance and secure a return to the Olympic stage after recent mixed fortunes in global competitions.
The Super Falcons, nine-time African champions, are expected to be among the top seeds when the draw is conducted, a factor that could influence their early-round opponents.
Wednesday’s ceremony in Cairo will therefore provide clarity on the fixtures, timelines and potential hurdles facing Nigeria and other contenders as the road to Los Angeles officially begins.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Morocco’s senior women’s national team will on Wednesday learn their opponents and qualification pathway to the football event of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games when the Confederation of African Football stages the official draw in Cairo.
The draw, billed for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, marks the starting point of Africa’s qualifying campaign, with 35 nations set to battle for just two coveted Olympic slots.
For Morocco, the exercise represents another significant step in the country’s rapidly rising profile in women’s football. The Atlas Lionesses, who have emerged as one of Africa’s most improved sides in recent years, will be aiming to secure a historic qualification for the Olympic Games.
The North Africans will face stiff competition from traditional powerhouses such as Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon and Ghana, alongside other ambitious sides including Zambia and Senegal.
Also in the race are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
CAF confirmed that the qualifiers will unfold across five rounds, with the field gradually trimmed down until only two teams remain to represent Africa at the Olympics in the United States from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Morocco are expected to be among the seeded teams for the early rounds, a reflection of their recent performances on the continental stage, including their strong showing at recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Wednesday’s draw in Cairo will therefore be crucial in determining Morocco’s early matchups and the potential obstacles on their path, as they seek to translate recent progress into a maiden appearance at the Olympic Games.
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