When authorities in the UK announced that soccer fans from Maccabi Tel Aviv would be banned from attending a match this month against Birmingham team Aston Villa, British political leaders and others around the world slammed the decision.
However, while the ban on Israeli fans in the field of soccer drew headlines, athletes in other genres have been feeling the sting of boycotts and hateful harassment since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack and the ensuing war in Gaza.
“To allow politics to be involved in sports, I think is the ugliest thing that can happen,” Peter Paltchik, one of Israel’s most decorated judokas and two-time Olympic medalist, told The Jerusalem Report.
Added pressure
Paltchik, who was one of two flag bearers that led Israel’s Olympic team during the opening of the Paris Games last year, said that Israeli athletes now have to contend with the mental stress resulting from the increasing hostility in global competitions, even as they prepare themselves physically.
Referring to the Olympic Games, where he won a bronze medal in the men’s 100 kg. event, he said: “From day one, from October 7, or since October 8, there were many organizations that tried to ban me from participating in the Paris Olympics.”
Paltchik, who this year turned from sportsman to celebrity, performing in the Israeli reality show Dancing with the Stars, has been a fixture in Israeli sports for more than a decade.
He said that because of his high-profile social media presence, he received a lot of hate and online abuse in the days and weeks leading up to the Games.
Boycotts place a great deal of pressure on Israeli athletes, he said, adding that their situation is “not like other athletes representing their countries. We need to deal with a lot of pressure, and we have a lot on our minds besides the usual preparation.”
Filled with dread
Israel’s Olympic team of nearly 90 athletes participated in the Games under heavy security as the Israel-Hamas War raged last year, and amid lingering memories of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said that the country’s security budget for the Paris Games was double what it had been in the past, and preparations were far more complex.
According to athletes who participated, armed guards were assigned to watch over them 24 hours a day, and they were not allowed to leave the Olympic Village without a security escort.
“I was one of the most, if not the most, threatened member of the delegation,” said Paltchik. “I had a private security detail.
“Every morning, I would have coffee with the officers from the special forces (who were guarding me) and show them all the messages I received on Instagram and other social media platforms,” he said.
Paltchik recounted to the Report how, moments before leading the delegation in the parade of countries at the opening ceremony – which took place in Paris in a procession of boats on the Seine River – he hesitated and was filled with dread.
“As I walked toward the boat with the Israeli flag for the opening ceremony, it was the first time we were all out in the open air and not inside a closed stadium, and I just had some thoughts that something bad was going to happen,” he described.
“But I had dreamed about that moment since I was a kid,” Paltchik said, adding, “I felt at that moment that this was the most important thing I could do for my country in front of billions of people around the world who were watching.
“I needed to hold that flag high and proud and use all my strength to show the world. I am very proud of that moment.”
Past boycotts
Even before October 7, Israeli athletes were no strangers to controversial efforts to ban them from global sporting events or to boycott them personally, including athletes from other countries refusing a sportsman-like handshake or withdrawing from a competition entirely rather than face an Israeli opponent.
For example, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, an Algerian judoka withdrew rather than face an Israeli competitor; and there have been many cases of athletes refusing to shake hands with Israelis after competing, which is a customary gesture.
Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and some Arab states have refused to grant visas to Israeli athletes to participate in international competitions, leading some sporting bodies to strip those countries of their rights to host events.
Increased tension
Tension has only increased since October 2023. In May 2024, FIFA held a special meeting to determine whether the Israel Football Association should be suspended from international competitions at the urging of the Palestine Football Association. No decision was reached.
Last month, Israeli gymnasts – including Olympic gold medalist Artem Dolgopyat – were denied visas to Indonesia to compete in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, with Indonesian leaders citing their support for Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas War and the fact that Indonesia has no diplomatic ties with Israel.
The ban was criticized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which said, “Sport must remain a safe space. Athletes must not be punished for political actions.”
The committee ended up suspending all future cooperation with Indonesia and urged other sports federations not to hold any events in the country.
Yael Arad, president of the Olympic Committee of Israel, welcomed the move, saying it sent “a clear message against Indonesia’s disgraceful behavior.”
“Global sport is built on rules, values, and the absolute commitment to equality and fair play. Israeli athletes will continue to stand proudly on the world’s biggest stages, demonstrating excellence and integrity,” she said in a statement, adding that she hoped the IOC’s firm position would set a precedent for future cases.
Ceasefire hopes
While such actions are welcome, they do not seem to be enough.
David Wiseman, founder of Follow Team Israel, a Facebook page with more than 100,000 followers, which highlights achievements by Israeli athletes, said that calls to boycott Israeli athletes over the past two years have become “very intense.”
“BDS [the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement] is modeled on how South Africa was treated during apartheid, and sports boycotts were a big part of that, so they are very excited to see Israel banned,” Wiseman told the Report.
Wiseman, who observes global sporting events very closely, said that one of the worst instances of Israeli athletes being singled out took place during the recent Vuelta a España cycling race.
“Mobs stood in the road and disrupted the whole race,” he said, adding that he believed the actions were encouraged by Spain’s leaders.
And Wiseman does not believe the recent ceasefire in Gaza will see such sentiments abating anytime soon.
“What [the bans] are really about is anti-Israel/antisemitic sentiment; [protesters] will just find new things to protest about,” he said. “The real sign of a return to normalcy is if Israel can host international sporting events again. They lost out over the past two years; it will be interesting to see if it resumes.”
Paltchik is more hopeful, however.
“One of the most beautiful moments in my career was in 2018, before the Abraham Accords, at the Grand Slam Abu Dhabi – one of the most prestigious tournaments in judo,” he said. “I won the gold medal there, and it was the first time our national anthem was played in an Arab country – and in front of my eyes, I saw people standing in an Arab country and respecting our national anthem.”
He described how people approached him and asked him to bring more Israeli athletes to the United Arab Emirates, saying that relations needed to be closer between the two nations.
“I think this is a beautiful example of how Israel can have a good relationship with an Arab country that believes in peace and mutual respect,” Paltchik said. “I hope we will soon have more examples like that… and I think that a peace agreement is in the best interest of everyone in the Middle East.”■