Europe Netball has canceled its flagship tournament following threats and heavy pressure over the participation of Israel’s national team, organizers said Wednesday.
The Europe Netball Open Challenge, scheduled to take place in Wales in May, was called off after organizers received numerous complaints and threats, including promises of protests outside the venue that could disrupt the event.
“We saw a wave of emails and social media messages objecting to Israel’s inclusion,” said Tamar Lampert, CEO of Netball Israel. “There were threats of demonstrations, which could have jeopardized the tournament entirely.”
To mitigate the concerns, organizers had agreed to hire private security for an estimated cost of £8,000, to be shared among all teams. Netball Israel also considered providing personal security for its delegation during its stay in Wales.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
The cancellation marks a significant setback for the Israeli team, which relies on international tournaments to earn global ranking points. “This is a critical competition for our team’s international standing,” said Netball Israel in a statement, noting that the team had already missed ranking matches last year due to the war in Gaza.
“The hosts gave in to pressure and announced they would not hold the tournament,” the statement said. “The tournament is canceled effective immediately.”
“Our players have worked so hard to reach this moment,” Lampert added. “We’ve approached the Eilat Sports Association and other bodies, and we intend to appeal the decision — though at this stage, the chances are nearly zero.”
Eric Kaplan, president of the Eilat Association for Non-Olympic Sports, said the decision was particularly painful.
“I can’t believe that on the eve of Memorial Day and just a week after Holocaust Remembrance Day, we are once again encountering anti-Israel incidents like this,” Kaplan said. “This is a difficult moment for our athletes, for Israeli sport and for international sport as a whole. Once again, sports has surrendered to politics, violence and antisemitism.”