Israeli Athlete Wins Bronze in Abu Dhabi, Then Faces Hostile Accusations From Gold Medalist

Yoav Manor, the Israeli jiu-jitsu fighter, delivered an exceptional performance yesterday (Sunday) at the prestigious Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, finishing in third place and winning the bronze medal in the up to 77 kg weight class. But just moments before the event came to a close, the athletic celebration was disrupted by a shocking and infuriating antisemitic incident.

Manor showed a high level of skill throughout a grueling and intense day of matches. He recorded three impressive victories alongside a single loss, securing himself a respectable place on the podium. But the sporting moment quickly turned into a display of political hostility from his opponent.

Kuwaiti athlete Yasim Alkhatam, who took the gold medal and finished in first place, refused to shake Manor’s hand and also declined to stand with him for the traditional winners’ photo. According to testimony from staff members who were present in the hall, Alkhatam confronted Manor with harsh accusations and told him, "You Israelis are killing children," adding that "if you had reached the final, I would not have come up to compete against you."

Following the tension in the hall, competition officials and local hosts from the United Arab Emirates tried to calm the situation and even pressured the Kuwaiti competitor to respect the occasion and take part in the medal ceremony as required, but he chose to boycott the ceremony and left the podium area.

Israel’s national jiu-jitsu team coach, Amir Buaron, addressed both the incident and his athlete’s performance: "The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam is a very prestigious tournament of the AJP organization, run with a firm hand by the United Arab Emirates. Yoav, a member of Israel’s under-21 national team, came to this competition as part of his professional preparation program ahead of the European Championship, which will open this coming June in Romania. Yoav delivered a terrific tournament with three wins, one loss, and a well-earned bronze medal. To our great regret, his opponent chose not to shake his hand, refused to be photographed with him, and even bluntly called him a 'child murderer.'"

Buaron noted that despite the provocation, Yoav managed to keep his composure and showed the maturity of a true athlete. "We will always choose to be on the side that embraces, shakes hands, and upholds the values and spirit of sport," he said in conclusion.

Erik Kaplan, president and CEO of the "Eilat" Association for non-Olympic sports, also expressed deep appreciation for Manor’s conduct: "Yoav brought tremendous honor and great pride today to all of Israeli sport. Beyond the wonderful athletic achievement on such a highly respected international stage, Yoav deserves every bit of praise for the respectful, restrained, and noble way he conducted himself in the face of hostile, ugly, and unsportsmanlike behavior from his opponent," he said.