Saudi Arabia’s judoka Tahani Alqahtani faces off against Israel’s Raz Hershko, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, on July 30, 2021. (Israel Olympic Committee)
Despite expecting to forfeit the match, Saudi Arabia’s judoka Tahani Alqahtani faced off against Israel’s Raz Hershko in the Tokyo Olympics on Friday. Hershko won the fight, but lost a later round in the competition.
Historically, many athletes from Arab or Muslim nations have boycotted playing against Israelis in sporting matches. A pair of judokas forfeited their matches this week rather than face an Israeli opponent.
Hershko beat Alqahtani in the women’s +78kg category. The two even shook hands following the match.