Israeli jiu-jitsu fighter Yoav Manor recorded an impressive achievement Sunday at the prestigious Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, finishing the under-77 kilogram category with a bronze medal. Manor competed in four bouts overall, winning three and losing one. He ultimately reached the podium in third place, where he experienced an unpleasant incident.
Kuwaiti fighter refuses to be photographed with Yoav Manor on the podium in Abu Dhabi
(Video: Jiu-Jitsu Association)
His Kuwaiti opponent, Jassim Alhatem, who finished the tournament with the gold medal, refused to shake Manor’s hand and declined to take part in the traditional winners’ photo with him. According to members of the Israeli delegation who were nearby, the Kuwaiti athlete told Manor: “You Israelis kill children,” and added: “If you had reached the final, I would not have competed against you.”
The Israeli delegation said in a statement that “despite the tension, the organizers and Emirati hosts tried to calm the situation and persuade the Kuwaiti competitor to take part in the medal ceremony, but he chose to leave the podium area. Manor, for his part, remained focused on the sporting achievement: a bronze medal at a prestigious international competition, after an impressive day of bouts against opponents from around the world.”
Amir Boaron, coach of Israel’s national jiu-jitsu team, praised Manor. “The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam is a very prestigious AJP competition, run by the United Arab Emirates. Yoav, a member of Israel’s under-21 national team, came to the competition as part of his preparations for the European Championship, which will be held in June in Romania," he said. "Yoav had an excellent competition. Unfortunately, his opponent refused to shake his hand and take a photo with him, and even called him a ‘child murderer.’ Yoav continued trying to shake his hand and behave like an athlete. It is important for me to stress that the Emirati hosts welcomed us wonderfully and even apologized for the incident.”
Arik Kaplan, president and CEO of Ayelet, the federation for non-Olympic sports in Israel, added: “Yoav Manor brought great honor to Israeli sports today. This was not only a sporting achievement on a prestigious international stage, but also a display of respectful and proper conduct in the face of hostile and unsportsmanlike behavior by another athlete. Yoav showed character, restraint and values. This is the Israeli spirit and what we want to see from our athletes — excellence on the mat and respect off it.”