SecondAt the Tokyo Olympics, another judo player gave up the match against an Israeli opponent. According to official sources, on Monday, the Sudanese Mohamed Abdalrasool did not participate in the second round of the 73 kg heavyweight match between him and the Israeli Tohar Butbul. . The reason for the 28-year-old’s withdrawal was not initially given.
Abdalrasool should play Algeria Fethi Nourine in the first round. However, he decided not to participate in the competition to avoid possible second-round duels with Butbull. After Abdalrasool entered the 32nd round, he did not appear in the game, although he was still there to participate in the official weigh-in. Neither the World Judo Federation nor the Sudan team commented on the reasons for their withdrawal.
The World Judo Federation had previously suspended Algerian Nuri and began further investigations. The 30-year-old player and his coach defended their decision in the Algerian media, saying they did not want to fight the Israelis. As early as the 2019 World Cup, Nourine refused to compete with Butbul.
