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.
WATCH-DISGRACEFUL.
ISRAELI Tal Flicker presented with his gold medal at #JudoAbuDhabi2017 without Israeli anthem or flag. Nice to see Tal singing something and I'm guessing it's the #Hatikvah@Ostrov_A http://pic.twitter.com/RzwGdn0Bh8— SussexFriendsIsrael (@SussexFriends) October 26, 2017
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.
The post Israeli Athlete Wins Judo Gold Medal at UAE Tourney – Officials Refuse to Play Israeli Anthem and Display Israeli Flag (Video) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
