La Française Doria Boursas refuse de serrer la main d’une Israélienne, colère de l’ambassadeur d’Israël

The French Doria Boursas refuses to shake the hand of an Israeli, anger of the ambassador of Israel

Judo

Friday, September 5, during the European Junior Junior Championships in Bratislava, the French Doria Boursas (19) won in the quarterfinals against the Israeli Kerem Primo. At the end of his victory, tricolor judoka refused to shake hands with him, triggering a lively controversy. This gesture, which is not an obligation in the Judo regulation but a simple convention, was perceived as an affront. Boursas had respected regulatory salvation before and after the fight. According to RMC Sport, its refusal would be linked to a previous dispute between the two athletes. But in a context marked by the genocide in Gaza and by Emmanuel Macron’s announcement to recognize the state of Palestine – the incident has taken on a political dimension. On X (ex-Twitter), the ambassador of Israel to France, Joshua Zarka, denounced a “shameful behavior and contrary to the values ​​of sport”, calling for a “clear condemnation” and “concrete measures” against judoka, challenging the Minister of Sports and the Federation
French Judo.