Algerian Judoka Messaoud Redouane Dris was left out of the men’s under 73 kg Judo event competition on Sunday. This was after he missed weight at the weigh-in on Saturday. Despite the specified weight limit, Dris weighed in at 73.4 kg, thus getting disqualified from the event. His opponent, Tohar Butbul from Israel, won the match by walkover. The Algerian Olympic committee refused to comment on the situation.

Initially, it was reported that Dris had refused to face Butbul and had withdrawn. But a latest X post brings the truth forward.

The Algerian Olympics committee refused to comment on the situation. Many competitors in the ongoing games have refused to participate in bouts against Israeli athletes due to their ongoing conflict with Palestine. The Israeli committee believed that Dris’s disqualification was due to the same reason. They said that they would continue to compete in the Olympics and that this kind of behavior has no place in sports.

Algeria’s history of boycotting Israel’s athletes

However, the action did not go down well with the international judo federation. They banned both Nourine and his coach Amar Benikhlef until the 23rd of July 2031. They believed that Nourine had used his platform for religious and political propaganda which was strictly prohibited. The athlete had also withdrawn in the same way during the 2019 Tokyo Championships. There is very less chance of Nourine coming back into competition. After the completion of his suspension, he would be 41. However, there is a likelihood of similar cases rising until the end of the conflict between the two States.