French judoka refuses handshake with ‘Israeli’ opponent after defeating her in tournament
French judoka Doria Boursas refused to shake hands with her ‘Israeli’ opponent, Kerem Primo, after defeating her in the quarter-finals.
The incident on Friday took place at the European Junior Judo Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Boursas, a bronze medalist at the championships, performed the mandatory post-match bow, which is a key element of respect in judo.
However, she intentionally declined to offer a handshake, a gesture that, while customary and widely practiced, is not explicitly required by the International Judo Federation (IJF) rules.
The French judoka's actions were seen as a symbolic act of protest against ‘Israel's’ ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
This sentiment was echoed by a wave of online support, with social media users praising her for her stance.
In response, Joshua Zarka, ‘Israel's’ ambassador to France, condemned the act as "shameful" and called for sanctions from French authorities.
Un comportement honteux et contraire aux valeurs du sport : la judoka française Doria Borsas a refusé de serrer la main de la judoka israélienne Kerem Primo à la fin de leur combat. Cet acte bafoue l’esprit du sport et du fair-play.
— Joshua L. Zarka (@yzarka) September 5, 2025
Nous attendons non seulement une condamnation… pic.twitter.com/MWYdkI83LV
The French Judo Federation (FFJDA) has not publicly commented on the handshake refusal itself.
Instead, it issued a press release celebrating Boursas's bronze medal victory.
The incident draws parallels to a similar event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby refused to shake hands with his ‘Israeli’ opponent, Or Sasson.
However, in that case, El Shehaby also initially refused the mandatory bow and was subsequently jeered by the crowd and faced a review of his behavior by the IJF.
