Gal Nevo
Photo: Oren Aharoni
Tunisian Olympians refute disqualification claims
Reports that Tunisian swimmer Taki Mrabet purposely disqualified himself due to Israeli swimmer Gal Nevo's participation in same heat denied by officials
Tunisia's Olympic team denies Israel protest: Earlier this week Arab websites published reports claiming Tunisian swimmer Taki Mrabet intentionally disqualified himself from the 400 meter individual medley swimming qualification round because Israeli swimmer Gal Nevo
was set to participate in the same heat.
Mrabet did appear for the heat, but was disqualified after 200 meters, and Tunisian sources claimed the disqualification was intentional on Mrabet's part as a way to publicly protest against Israel.
Reports of the intentional disqualification
Reports in Tunisia even mentioned the assassination of Abu Jihad, deputy to former PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat in 1988, for which Israel was blamed.
Tunisians are now concerned that the IOC will penalize them should the Mrabet affair be investigated, and evidence of unsportsmanlike behavior be discovered. These fears have led the Tunisian team to deny that the disqualification was an intentional act directed at Israel.
Tunisian Chef de-mission Mohammad El-Zuwawi told a local radio station: "The online reports according to which Mrabet intentionally disqualified himself because of the Israeli swimmer are untrue.
"These things should be checked before they are published. He made a mistake with the style (of swimming) in using movements forbidden by the International Swimming Association.
"It is a shame that there are people who rush to claim that he did it purposefully because of the participation of the Israeli swimmer. We deal in sports, not politics."
