Kuwaiti Jiu-Jitsu champion explains snubbing ‘Israeli’ player at tournament
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The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu tournament concluded with significant tension on the podium after Kuwaiti gold medalist Jassim Al-Hatem refused to shake hands or take photos with ‘Israeli’ bronze medalist Yoav Manor.
The incident, which occurred during the under-77 kg medal ceremony, quickly went viral after members of the ‘Israeli’ delegation reported that Al-Hatem directed sharp comments at Manor—allegedly telling him, "You Israelis kill children"—before walking off the podium to avoid the traditional joint winners' photograph.
Kuwaiti Jiu-Jitsu champion Jassim Al-Hatem flatly refuses to shake hands with the Israeli player on the podium at the Abu Dhabi World Championship. Al-Hatem completely ignored him, turning his gaze toward the Kuwaiti flag and celebrating his first-place achievement. A new heroic… pic.twitter.com/ashYttGmaQ
— Alam ☫ (@thealam0110) May 18, 2026
Addressing the controversy in a self-recorded video, Al-Hatem strongly defended his actions, framing his decision as a matter of religious and national principle rather than personal sportsmanship.
"I spoke to him before the podium ceremony and told him: 'I don't want to know you, okay? And I don't want to shake your hand. You stay on your side and I'll stay on mine so no problem happens,'" Al-Hatem clarified.
The Kuwaiti champion accused his opponent of intentionally forcing an interaction on stage to manufacture controversy and paint himself as the victim.
"He wanted to make himself look like the poor, kind guy and tried to shake my hand... but with these kinds of people, I'm not like that," he stated, adding that as Kuwaitis, "we don't recognize them [Israelis] at all."
Al-Hatem also rejected the notion that politics should be entirely separated from international sports, pointing to current global precedents. "If that logic were true, Russians wouldn't be banned right now from participating in championships," he argued.
Al-Hatem concluded his statement by urging fellow Muslim athletes to stand firm on their geopolitical stances.
"The final thing, guys, a piece of advice from a brother: have principles. As a Muslim man, you must have principles. It's not right for us to play against this kind of person or these kinds of people, or to recognize them."
