Israeli sports official caught in racist slur
Industrialist Oded Tira, chairman of new National Sports Council, refers to Maccabi Tel Aviv's foreign players as 'kushim' while congratulating basketball club on its Euroleague win.
The meeting's participants say Tira opened the discussion by congratulating the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club for winning the Euroleague competition. Turning to the club's chairman, Shimon Mizrahi, he said: "Well done on your achievement, although there were some people who did not like the fact that you played with five 'kushim' (a derogatory term for black-skinned people) throughout many minutes of the final."
The racist remark, which repeated itself several times throughout the meeting, sparked a lot of anger among the attendees.
After being approached by Yedioth Ahronoth, Tira agreed to apologize. "I don't judge people by the color of their skin," he said. "I am sorry if my statement was misunderstood and offended anyone."
As many as six African-American players were part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv team which won the Euroleague last week: Tyrese Rice, Ricky Hickman, Devin Smith, Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Alex Tyus and Sylven Landesberg. Most of them are Americans, but some have an Israeli citizenship.
Tira served in the past as president of the Israel Manufacturers Association. His comment is particularly serious in light of the fact that he serves in a senior position as chairman of the National Sports Council.
The Council was founded by Sports Minister Limor Livnat to recommend a long-term national strategy and the allotment of public resources towards sports activities in Israel.
Livnat, who chose not to comment on Tira's remarks during the meeting, said that "the Council's activity will help develop sports infrastructures, advance athletes and increase the allotted resources, which will help leverage Israeli sports in the future on the national level and in the international arena."
The new chairman's remarks will likely not contribute to the implementation of Livnat's vision.
