Judoka Fethi Nourine was greeted as a hero in Algiers, where he returned after leaving the Tokyo Olympics on a forfeit, or more precisely a boycott, that of his Israeli opponent Tohar Butbul, in solidarity for the Palestinian cause.

He said he was "proud" of it.

Nourine was suspended by the International Judo Federation (IJF) and her accreditation was withdrawn.

He returned to Algeria on Thursday.

"I was shocked when I saw that the draw opposed me to the judoka of the 'Zionist entity' (Israel), which I was not expecting, but I did not hesitate to make the decision to withdraw, ”Nourine explained on her arrival to the Algerian media.

"This decision honors me"

"I made the decision with my trainer (Amar Benikhlef) and I'm proud of it," said the Algerian judoka, greeted at the airport by a small crowd of supporters.

"This decision honors me first and foremost and honors my family, the Algerian people and the Algerian state, because President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has declared that we do not bless normalization (with Israel) and that we support the Palestinian cause", he explained.

"I am happy to have angered the 'Zionist entity' and to have received messages (of support) from the Arab and Islamic world," Nourine added.

For the International Judo Federation, the decision of the Algerian judoka is "in total opposition to the philosophy" of the body.

A highly commented decision

The IJF has "a strict policy of non-discrimination and promotes solidarity as a fundamental principle".

This is not the first time that Nourine has withdrawn from a competition for these reasons.

He had also acted in this way during the 2019 Worlds in Tokyo.

Since its independence in 1962, Algeria has taken up the cause for "the right of peoples to self-determination", in particular that of the Palestinians, of which it is one of the historical supporters.

Nourine's decision, much commented on on social networks, sparked heated debates in Algeria.

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