KUALA LUMPUR − Should our policies as a nation be allowed to violate the fundamental rights of athletes who qualify for participation in international sporting tournaments hosted by Malaysia?
Is Malaysia destined to be singled out as the only host nation of international competitions that believes it has the right to reject the participation of teams from other countries based on politics as opposed to global standards of sporting excellence?
This is the main argument posed by the Israeli team in light of recent developments in the world of international squash, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post.
Due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in New Zealand, the Men’s World Team Squash Championship, originally planned in the archipelago nation on December 7, has now been moved to an entirely new location – Malaysia.
However, there exists a blanket rule in the country that does not permit Israelis to visit Malaysia.
The Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) reportedly ignored the Israel Squash Association (ISA) when it inquired about the possibility of receiving special visas so that its players can attend.
As such, the ISA plans to take the World Squash Federation (WSF) to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if it does not ensure Israeli players can participate in the world championship in Malaysia next month.
When WSF president Zena Wooldridge followed up on the matter, the Malaysian association responded on September 27 that the Israelis would not be allowed to participate.
“As you may be aware, there are, sadly, long-standing sensitivities surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict,” SRAM president Gerard Monteiro wrote, adding that Malaysia “would not be able to guarantee [Israeli players’] safety and well-being.
“As is encountered across the world, there are sympathisers of the conflict, who will not hesitate to take extreme measures to display their displeasure toward the nation of Israel and her people.”
Wooldridge told the Israelis that she had not yet found a way to enable them to attend the championship in Kuala Lumpur.
On October 5, ISA chairman Aviv Bushinsky wrote to WSF CEO William Louis-Marie to express the Israeli team’s disappointment.
“On the one hand, we are explicitly being discriminated against, and therefore, unable to participate,” Bushinsky wrote.
“Yet on the other hand, if we insist on realising our basic rights” to inclusiveness, according to the WSF’s by-laws. He stressed that “a state that is far from being a squash superpower would lead to the cancellation of the event that is so important for the sport worldwide.”
As such, he suggested moving this year’s World Team Squash Championship to Israel, where all competitors from all nations would be guaranteed equal participation or to award Israel the opportunity to host a future championship in the next two years.
Sport and Culture Minister Chili Tropper appealed to Wooldridge, calling the situation “particularly absurd” in light of the fact that the Israeli Squash Association was invited by the World Squash Federation to participate and paid all fees and dues.
“I find it impossible to believe that in this modern era, there is still a place for discrimination, as well as the mixing of political considerations and sport,” Tropper wrote.
The minister pointed out that in 2019, the International Paralympic Committee cancelled the International Swimming Championship due to Malaysia’s refusal to allow Israeli athletes to enter the country.
That same year, the International Olympic Committee issued sanctions on the Iranian judo association for not allowing Israelis to participate in the competition that they hosted.
On the other hand, Qatar has guaranteed that Israeli players and spectators will be able to attend the FIFA World Cup next year even though the countries do not have diplomatic relations.
“Nowadays, this is a basic criterion for any country wishing to host any international sports event – whether it be chess, football, judo or squash: to allow all participants the equal opportunity to participate and showcase their skills and sporting abilities,” Tropper stated.
“I understand that the WSF has not provided any options or courses of actions, and that the Israeli association remains left out, empty-handed and devoid of any solution.
“As the minister of sport for the State of Israel, I would expect that the WSF would act according to the norms set out and implemented by the rest of the sporting world and ensure our equal participation.”
On Friday, Wooldridge wrote to Tropper that it “welcomes Israel’s entry to this championship,” the barrier to Israel’s entry “does not sit with WSF,” and “the door is not yet closed on this.”
“We agree that politics should not interfere to prevent any nations’ players from participating,” she wrote, adding that the WSF did not anticipate the difficulty in obtaining visas for the Israeli team.
However, Wooldridge said that in light of the tournament already being moved once, it would be too difficult to move it again on such short notice, so she will continue working to try to get visas for the Israeli players.
The ISA plans to turn to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“It is our duty to fight any attempt to mix politics with sports,” Bushinsky said.
“Especially nowadays... any country chosen to host an international sporting event [is] required to open its doors to participants without discrimination based on race or politics.” – Agencies, November 23, 2021
