Judoka Fethi Nourine and coach Amar Benikhlef handed 10-year ban by International Judo Federation

The Algerian International Judo Federation banned Judoka Fethi Nourine from the competition for 10 years on Monday. This step was taken after Nourine withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics to avoid a potential bout against an Israeli opponent.

Nourine's announced his withdrawal from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics on the opening day after he learnt about his potential opponent, Olympic bronze medalist Tohar Butbul.

The Algerian judoka was supposed to face Tohar Butbul in the second round of the men's lightweight competition at the Budokan. Nourine and his coach Benikhlef announced their exit for the Summer Games to express solidarity for Palestinians.

Apart from Nourine, his coach, IJF Hall of Famer Amar Benikhlef, also received a 10-year ban Monday. He was also a silver medallist at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The IJF has imposed a ban that effectively ends the competitive career of the 30-year-old Nourine, a three-time gold medalist in the African Judo Championships.

The governing body of judo has been firm in its anti-discrimination policies. In recent years, they have extended their support of the Israel’s right to compete. Earlier, in April, the IJF suspended Iran for four years because the nation refused to allow its fighters to face Israelis.

The IJF stated that Iran’s policies were revealed when former Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei claimed that he was forced to lose in the semifinals of the 2019 World Championships held in Tokyo. This happened in order to to avoid facing Iranian judoka's potential Israeli opponent, world champion Sagi Muki, in the finals.

International Judo Federation's statement against Juoka Fethi Nourine

The IJF said in a statement:

“It is evident that the two Algerian judokas, with malicious intent, have used the Olympic Games as a platform for protest and promotion of political and religious propaganda, which is a clear and serious breach of the IJF Statutes, the IJF Code of Ethics and the Olympic Charter,” “Therefore, no other penalty than a severe suspension can be imposed in this case.”

The IJF, after Nourine's withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics, launched an investigation and notified the Algerian Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee regarding the decision. Responding to the information, the Algerian Olympic Committee withdrew both the athlete and coach accreditation and asked them to return.