Syrian Boxer Withdraws from 2023 Asian Games Because of Israeli Referee

Beijing, MINA – Syrian boxer Mohammad Mlaiyes withdrew from the 19th edition of the Asian Games in China to avoid the match which was scheduled to be officiated by an Israeli referee.

Mlaiyes actually faced Russian-born Bahraini boxer Danis Latypov in the preliminary round of the men’s 92 kilogram continental division at Hangzhou Gymnasium in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Tuesday.

However, he withdrew from the competition as soon as he learned that Israeli referee Naim Ramaj was scheduled to referee the rules during the fight.

Muhammad Ghassoun, the head coach of the Syrian national boxing team, then raised objections to the refereeing committee, but the organizers insisted on their position, and Mlaiyes resigned as a result.

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“Syria, its territory, its people and its blood are worth more than any medal or tournament. “This is a country that is dignified, proud and opposed to the Israeli occupation,” said the boxer on Wednesday.

In recent years, an increasing number of athletes from Arab and Muslim countries have refused to face Israeli opponents in international competitions in protest against the illegitimate regime and ongoing atrocities against the Palestinian people.

They view Israeli athletes’ participation in sporting events as a scheme to help the Tel Aviv regime gradually normalize its relations with Muslim and Arab countries despite the regime’s brutal occupation of Palestine and relentless crimes against Palestinians.

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Last month, Syrian swimmer Hammam Hashim Mualla withdrew from the 2023 World Aquatics Masters Championships in Japan to avoid an Israeli opponent.

Last May, Kuwaiti fencer Abdulaziz Alshatti also withdrew from the 2023 Fédération Internationale d’Escrime (FIE) Senior World Cup contest in Turkey to avoid contesting Israel.

“I withdrew from the tournament because of the presence of representatives of the Zionist entity in the same group,” Alshatti wrote in an Arabic post published on his Instagram page at the time. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)