Kuwaiti bowling team refuses to compete against ‘Israeli’ opponents

• Men’s team players Asil Al-Rumi and Mohammed Abdullah qualified for the round of 16 before refusing to face their ‘Israeli’ opponents.
• Kuwait’s women’s team also withdrew after being drawn against players representing ‘Israel’.

Kuwait’s men’s and women’s bowling teams have declined to compete against players representing ‘Israel’ at the World Bowling Championships in Germany, choosing to withdraw from their respective matches after the tournament draw, according to Kuwait Times.

Team members Al-Rumi and Abdullah secured their places in the knockout stage following strong performances in the tournament. However, they declined to play their scheduled match after the draw paired them with ‘Israeli’ competitors, the newspaper reported on Oct. 19.

The women’s team made the same decision after being drawn against opponents representing Israel’, according to the report.

The Kuwait bowlers’ decision comes amid a wider history of athletes and national teams refusing to compete against ‘Israeli’ opponents, particularly in sports across the Arab world. Such withdrawals have been linked to political opposition to ‘Israel’s’ maltreatment of Palestinians and its occupation of their lands. Athletes from several countries have faced disciplinary consequences for refusing matches, while others have withdrawn from competitions rather than compete against ‘Israeli’ representatives.

One of the most prominent cases came at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, when Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine withdrew to avoid a potential bout against ‘Israeli’ competitor Tohar Butbul, citing his support for the Palestinian cause. The International Judo Federation later handed Nourine and his coach, Amar Benikhlef, 10-year bans. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili also avoided competing against an ‘Israeli’ opponent, while Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby refused to shake hands with his ‘Israeli’ rival after losing at the 2016 Rio Olympics