Missing that Olympic spirit. I’m glad the IOC gave a reprimand at least.
The 2016 Olympic Games have been billed as an opportunity to put politics aside in the spirit of international camaraderie, but that’s not necessarily how it’s working out for Israeli athletes.
Animosity toward the 47-athlete delegation has already triggered a reprimand from the International Olympic Committee and alarm from Jewish groups like the Anti-Defamation League, which issued a statement this week decrying anti-Israel “hostility” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“Shocking but not surprisingly, the Lebanese and Saudi delegations obviously have the wrong idea about the Olympic games,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of the pro-Israel group Stand With Us, in a Wednesday statement.
“Instead of using the events to forget animosity and promote peace between people, they have brought their brainwashed minds to Rio,” she said. “How unfortunate that they could not implement the good, peaceful intentions of the Olympics, and instead have used it as a forum to spread hate and continued rejection of peace.”
The confrontations with delegations of nations traditionally hostile to Israel have marred an otherwise successful Olympics for Israel. Two days ago, judo athlete Yarden Gerbi won the bronze, making her the nation’s first medal winner since the 2008 Olympics.
On Sunday, however, the IOC issued a reprimand to the head of the Lebanese Olympic delegation after he blocked Israeli athletes from entering a bus that the teams were supposed to share in order to reach the opening ceremonies.