Image by Getty Images

By Maia Efrem August 12, 2016

Egyptian judo fighter Islam El Shehaby was met with loud boos and jeers after refusing to bow or shake the hand of the Israeli fighter who bested him at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Or Sasson, Israel’s fifth-ranked fighter, beat El Shehaby with two throws in the first-round for an automatic victory, with a minute and a half remaining in the bout.

#Israel Sasson beats Egyptian Islam El Shehaby in 1st rnd #judo event. Egyptian then refuses to shake his hand. pic.twitter.com/WRQ1Gpd29m

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

— Stanislaw (@stas8t) August 12, 2016

El Shehaby lay on his back for a moment before standing up and facing Sasson in front of the referee. As per custom, Sasson can be seen bowing to the Egyptian judoka but El Shehaby did not return that honor.

Image by Getty Images

I’ve never heard of Or Sasson, but I’m his new No.1 fan. Egyptian judoka refuses to shake hands with Israeli. https://t.co/XzP1SC72FE

— Jonathan Poulton (@JonMP66) August 12, 2016

I’m baffled for these Mid-Eastern vs Israeli judoka’s can’t respect the sport or its philosophy. You will show respect. I am a Judoka. #judo

— Daniel Lindholm (@dropkickmonk3y) August 12, 2016

CBS News reports that in an email to the publication, International Judo Federation spokesman, Nicolas Messner, said the fight between the two countries was a major sign of progress. “This is already a big improvement that Arabic countries accept to (fight) Israel” and that though there is no duty to shake hands, a bow is customary.

Commenting further, Messner told CBS News that though El Shehaby ultimately bowed, “his attitude will be reviewed after the games to see if any further action should be taken.”

Sasson, who shares photos of his training and his time in Rio, made the semifinals after beating a Dutch rival Roy Meyer in the men’s 100 kilogram plus weight class.

With the rings. The olympic village. Rio, Brazil.

A photo posted by Sasson Ori (@ori_sasson) on Aug 9, 2016 at 5:09am PDT

All the way

A photo posted by Sasson Ori (@ori_sasson) on May 16, 2016 at 1:17pm PDT

תמיד הרגשתי גאווה לייצג את מדינת ישראל שלנו. עכשיו כשהאולימפיאדה מתקרבת.. זה מתגבר ומתגבר !

A photo posted by Sasson Ori (@ori_sasson) on Jun 2, 2016 at 7:50am PDT

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount