Israeli Athlete Wins Judo Gold Medal at UAE Tourney – Officials Refuse to Play Israeli Anthem and Display Israeli Flag (Video)

Israeli Tal Flicker won the gold medal in the men’s under-66 kilogram category at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam judo tournament in the UAE.

Tournament officials refused to play the Israeli anthem and display the Israeli flag after he won.

Instead they displayed the International Judo Federation Flag and play a generic anthem.

Flicker sang the Israeli anthem by himself during the medal ceremony.

The Times of Israeli reported:

An Israeli judoka won a gold medal on Thursday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam judo tournament, but had to sing his own private “Hatikvah” because the organizers refused to play the Israeli national anthem.

He also had to celebrate his victory under the International Judo Federation’s flag, because the emirate banned the display of Israeli symbols.

Tournament organizers did not play Israel’s national anthem as Tal Flicker stood on the podium after receiving his medal in the men’s under-66 kilograms (145 pounds) category.

With the medal around his neck, Flicker sang his own “Hatikvah” while the International Judo Federation’s (IJF) anthem played in the background.

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Jim Hoft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016. In 2023, The Gateway Pundit received the Most Trusted Print Media Award at the American Liberty Awards.

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