Israelis Blocked from Bus to Opening Ceremonies

Israel has the largest delegation to the Olympics in history with 47 athletes in Rio to compete. But they cannot escape the Antisemitism that has brewing within the enemies on her borders, even as the nations are supposed to be under a “Truce” agreement during the Olympics.

When the Israeli athletes were attempting to board the bus in Rio to take them to the opening ceremonies, the Lebanese delegation refused to share a bus with them. The Lebanese, when seeing the Israelis approaching and realizing they were to share a bus, ordered the driver to shut the door of the bus. When the organizers and the head of the Israeli delegation ordered the door opened for them to board, the head of the Lebanese team blocked the entrance of the bus door physically with his body, almost causing an international incident before the games even began.

Israeli sailing coach Udi Gal described the incident in a Facebook post.

“The Olympic Committee of Israel getting ready to board the bus for the opening ceremony. Out the bus is in collaboration with team Lebanon. Members of team Lebanon, once they realized they along with Israel National Head of the delegation, LED by their own, out of the driver and demanded to close the door. The organizers tried to us other buses. Whatever possible security (situation). I insisted we go up to the bus designated… The bus driver open the door but this time Lebanese delegation head body blocked the passage entrance.
The organizers tried to prevent an incident international and physical and sent us a special ride.
The incident had happened… shame!!
How could they let this happen and another on the eve of the opening of the Olympic Games?”

According to the Jerusalem Post, a source from the Lebanese Olympic committee told al mayadeen that the refusal to allow the Israeli delegation to ascend onto the bus was a group decision of the Lebanese Olympic delegation. Another source said that Lebanese athletes are “committed to the national position in refusing to be in the same place as the Israelis.” He added that Lebanon will remain part of the resistance against Israel.

In another incident reported by the Jerusalem Post –

A letter of protest was sent to Facebook after receiving complaints that “Israel was unaccountably placed last in an alphabetical listing of countries and groups competing in the Rio Olympics.”

“A feature called Profile Frames, which allows users to add a national flag and the Rio 2016 logo to their profile picture, lists 206 countries and groups, such as refugees, competing in the Rio Games. Israel and its flag do not appear on the list in its alphabetical place; Israel appears at the end, after Zimbabwe, and features the flag of the Israeli Olympic Committee.”

This is completely against the heart of the Olympics, where despite wars and difficulties of nations, the nations of the world have all come together historically to compete in the true spirit of sportsmanship, with politics laid aside.

The crooked propaganda against Israel by Iran and Hezbollah has created such hatred in the hearts of people against the Jewish people, the Antisemitism is so strong, that once again not even the Olympics can avoid it.

Antisemitism is implicitly evil and runs too deep; it cannot be masked by a political “truce,” even once every four years for the spirit of sport.


 Sources:
Various news media
Jerusalem Post; Political Play in Rio
Jerusalem Post; Israeli Olympic Team Snubbed by Facebook