Algerian judoka dropped from Olympics before facing Israeli, officially for missing weight [View all]
PARIS (AP) — Messaoud Dris of Algeria was dropped from the Paris Olympics judo competition Sunday night, officially for missing weight on the day before he was scheduled to take on Tohar Butbul of Israel.
The International Judo Federation issued a brief statement declaring Butbul the winner by walkover.
The bout was scheduled to be the first in the men’s 73-kilogram division Monday, but given its political implications, many suspected it would not happen from the moment Dris and Butbul were matched in the random draw last week.
For the second straight Olympics, an Algerian judoka has dropped out of the Games right before he was to face Butbul. In Tokyo, Algeria’s Fethi Nourine withdrew to avoid even a potential second-round matchup with Butbul.
Nourine explicitly cited his support for Palestine in announcing his decision three years ago. Nourine and his coach, Amar Benikhlef, were suspended for 10 years by the International Judo Federation in September 2021, effectively ending Nourine’s judo career.
https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-israel-algeria-5925a924c57c1d6440b2cbf09d57cb75