On the 30th, the 8th day of the Tokyo Olympics, judoka from two countries, which have been in political conflict for many years, faced each other on tatami mats.
In the first round of the Judo Women's class over 78 kg, Israeli 23-year-old Raz Hershko and Saudi Arabia 21-year-old Tahani Alkaftani played.
Israel and the Arab nations have been in conflict over the Palestinian issue for many years, and before the tournament, Algerian and Sudanese players abstained one after another in the 73-kilometer class to avoid playing against Israeli players.
Saudi Arabia, which is the center of the Arab countries, has not formed diplomatic relations with Israel, and it was watched whether a match for women over 78 kg would be established, but the two went up to the tatami mat of the Nippon Budokan on the 30th. , Faced each other.
In the match, Israel's Herschko, who has a better record in international competitions, took the lead over Alkaftani, who became the second woman to participate in the Olympic judo competition as a representative of Saudi Arabia, and started 1 minute 44 seconds on his back. I won one by dropping.
After the match, the two thanked players walked up and shook hands, and when the winning Helshko raised Alkaftani's right hand high and praised his good fight, the people in the hall gave a big applause.
The IJF = International Judo Federation commented, "The match between the two was a big step towards demonstrating respect and friendship, and showed that the sport could overcome any political or external influence." increase.