Israel and Iran earned Olympic medals in Tokyo in the first days of competition.
Israeli taekwondo athlete Avishag Semberg won the bronze medal in the women’s -49kg category on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Iranian marksman Javad Foroughi, 41, a first-time Olympian, set a new Olympic record of 244.8 points in men’s 10m air pistol event, winning a gold medal.
Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine on Saturday was suspended from the International Judo Federation and sent home from the Tokyo Olympics after he withdrew from a match rather than face an Israeli opponent. The Algerian Olympic Committee withdrew its accreditation and is expected to levy further sanctions on the athlete. Nourine had a scheduled bout with Sudan’s Mohamed Abdalrasool on Monday and, if victorious, would have battled Israeli Tohar Butbul in the men’s 73kg division. In an interview with an Algerian television station, he said he could not fight an Israeli opponent due to his support for the Palestinians.
On Sunday, the Israeli coach of the national men’s basketball team of the Czech Republic, Ronen Ginzburg, shook hands with the coach of the Iranian national team, Mehran Shahintab.