"It is not the first time that Nourine has withdrawn from competition to avoid facing an Israeli opponent. He pulled out of the 2019 world championships in Tokyo for the same reason.
"Other athletes from countries who do not recognize Israel have previously withdrawn from competing in sports against Israeli opponents."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/24/sport/algerian-olympian-withdrawal-israel-intl/index.html
I can't offhand calculate the odds of the Algerian contestant facing the Israeli contestant, but they would seem decent to me. So I think it is incredibly selfish of an athlete to take an Olympic slot, to pledge to represent his country, and then to quit.
The political situation of Israel is a different issue, but this man should not be allowed to professionally compete anymore.
"Other athletes from countries who do not recognize Israel have previously withdrawn from competing in sports against Israeli opponents."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/24/sport/algerian-olympian-withdrawal-israel-intl/index.html
I can't offhand calculate the odds of the Algerian contestant facing the Israeli contestant, but they would seem decent to me. So I think it is incredibly selfish of an athlete to take an Olympic slot, to pledge to represent his country, and then to quit.
The political situation of Israel is a different issue, but this man should not be allowed to professionally compete anymore.