Judoka Nurali Emomali from Tajikistan left a special impression at the Paris Olympics. After the match, he did not shake hands with his opponent, instead he provoked him by shouting “Allahu akbar”. However, the spectators may have felt sorry for him when he left the tournament in tears and pain.
Photo: Profimedia
Nurali Emomali ended up in pain.
Judo is characterized by respect for the opponent, and this should be doubly true at the Olympic Games. However, the Tajik man showed in the round of 66 fight that it is not of much value to him.
His opponent was the Israeli Baruch Shmailov. After winning the fight, Emomali bowed to his opponent in compliance with the rules, but there was no classic handshake.
Instead, he shouted two words that are known around the world. Allahu akbar, which in Arabic means: God is the greatest.
In the Middle East it is a common greeting, but in Europe people often associate it with radical Islam and terrorists.
The words were certainly not chosen at random. Religious animosity between Muslims and Jews has further escalated since the start of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas last year.
It also manifests itself in Paris. During the soccer match between the Israelis and the Mali team, the game was played in an unpleasant atmosphere, with constant beeping and flags of Palestine could be seen in the stands.
Israeli athletes were already warned before leaving for Paris that they could become the target of attacks. Several of them received threatening messages.
Emomali did not gain many new fans with his behavior and shouting. However, he said goodbye to the tournament after the next match and in a painful way.
His quarterfinal opponent was the Japanese Hifumi Abe, who managed to defend the gold from Tokyo 2020 in Paris. Emomali did not give him much trouble.
In addition, the Japanese threw him on the shoulder blades and Emomali dislocated his shoulder when he fell. He said goodbye to the tournament in a pool of tears, as it is a very painful injury.
“Olympic karma caught up with him,” Michael Dickson, a well-known campaigner for Israeli rights and one of the most influential Jews on Twitter, wrote on the social network.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
