Tajik Judoka Refuses to Shake Hands with Israeli Opponent at Paris Olympics, Later Withdraws Due to Injury

Tajik judoka Nurali Emomali caused a surprise in the under 66 kilo category at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.

Emomali faced Israeli Baruch Shmailov in the round of 16 of Group B of the tournament. He refused to shake his hand after his victory, according to Ynet News. He was reportedly heard shouting “Allah Akbar” at his Israeli opponent.

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Tajik Nurali Emomali receives medical attention during the men’s 66 kilogram judo quarterfinal of the Olympic Games at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris on July 28, 2024. (LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)

Emomali then faced Japan’s Hifumi Abe in the quarter-finals. But Emomali injured his left arm while trying to recover from his fall and was forced to withdraw from the tournament.

Serbian Strahinja Bunčić qualified for the repechage phase of the event by forfeit.

Abe then beat Brazil’s Willian Lima in the final to win his second gold medal in the event. Lima won a silver, the first Olympic medal of his career. Kazakhstan’s Gusman Kyrgyzbayev and Moldova’s Denis Vieru both finished with bronze.

Team Tajikistan’s Nurali Emomali is helped off the mat by medical staff after sustaining a wrist injury. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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Emomali was not the only judoka to refuse Shmailov’s handshake during the event. Morocco’s Abderrahmane Boushita also refused the handshake after his defeat to Shamilov.

Israel is one of the most important judo teams at the Paris Olympics. The team included 12 Israeli competitors and four of them competed on Sunday.

Israel’s Baruch Shmailov (white) and France’s Walide Khyar compete in their elimination bout in the under 66 kilograms category during the World Judo Championships at the Humo Arena in Tashkent on October 7, 2022. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, Algerian Messaoud Dris was ruled out of the competition after missing a weigh-in the day before his fight with Tohar Butbul. The International Judo Federation declared Butbul the winner by default.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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