Judo competitor refuses to shake Israeli athlete’s hand at Olympics

A judo competitor from Tajikistan refused to shake his Israeli competitor’s hand after beating him at the 2024 Paris Olympics — and then was subjected to immediate karma when he was beaten and left in tears during the next match.

Israeli judoka Baruch Shmailov won his first match in the men’s under-145 lbs. weight class against Morocco’s Abderrahmane Boushita, who declined to shake his hand.

He then faced Tajikistan’s Nurali Emomali in the round of 16, according to the Times of Israel.

Shamailov lost after 1:17 minutes to Emomali, who also left the mat without shaking Shamailov’s hand, according to Ynet news.

Social media users also claimed that the Tajikistan athlete yelled “Allah Akbar” at Shmailov after the match.

The Israeli athlete was eliminated from the competition in Paris with the loss, according to Ynet.

Emomali then went on to compete against Japan’s Hifumi Abe, who left him in tears on the mat with an apparent arm injury, according to the Associated Press and other online reports.

Abe went on to win gold in the next match.

Photo and video of the match shared on X show Emomali in tears on the mat after he was injured.

The 2024 summer games kicked off on Saturday with fanfare — and some shock as religious conservatives from around the world decried a table of drag queens that evoked Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” during the glamorous opening ceremony.