A judo competitor from Tajikistan was struck by instant ‘karma’ after he refused to shake hands with his Israeli opponent at the Olympics on Sunday.
Israel’s presence at the Paris Games has been protested at various points since the beginning of Israel’s offensive in Gaza last year.
However, Olympics chiefs and the French government have firmly backed Israel’s right to participate this summer.
Despite that, Israeli athletes have been subject to protests in the early days of the Games and one judoka’s opponent refused to shake his hand on Sunday.
Nurali Emomali of Tajikistan faced off against Israel’s Baruch Shmailov, and after beating him, walked straight off the mat without shaking his opponent’s hand.
Nurali Emomali of Tajikistan (above) beat Israel’s Baruch Shmailov in the Olympics on Sunday
But Emomali refused to shake his Israeli opponent’s hand before he walked off the mat in Paris
It is customary to shake your opponent’s hand in judo. Emomali was allegedly heard yelling ‘Allah Akbar’, too.
Earlier in the day, Morocco’s Abderrahmane Boushita also refused to shake hands with Shmailov.
But Emomali was subjected to instant ‘karma’ for ignoring Shmailov in the next round, when he took on Japan’s Hifumi Abe.
As they battled for superiority, Emomali badly injured his left arm as he attempted to break his fall.
He was left in tears on the mat after suffering what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder.
Viewers immediately took to social media to point out the instant ‘karma’ that had struck Emomali.
But Emomali was subjected to instant karma for ignoring Shmailov against Japan’s Hifumi Abe
Emomali suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder when he tried to break his fall
Earlier on Sunday, French police opened an investigation into death threats received by three Israeli athletes at the Olympics.
Anti-cybercrime officers are also investigating the release of athletes’ personal data on social networks on Friday and seeking to have it removed, prosecutors said in a statement.
In a statement on Thursday, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate said that after an investigation it had come to the conclusion that Iranian hackers were creating social media channels to publish personal information about members of the Israeli delegation and send them threatening messages.
On the same day, Israel’s foreign minister warned his French counterpart of a potential Iranian-backed plot to target Israeli athletes and tourists during the Paris Olympic Games.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Thursday: ‘Terrorist acts have no place in the principles of resistance groups; lies and deceit cannot switch the roles of the plaintiff and the accused.’
Israeli athletes at the Games are being escorted to and from events by elite tactical units and given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics, officials say. Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, is helping with security.
