Israel: International marathon body plays anti-Israel politics

International Marathons and Distances Races is displaying a “discriminatory nature” by excluding Israel from the association over the Bible Marathon. 

Israel is accusing the international marathon body of injecting politics into sports by excluding an Israeli race because it passes through Samaria.

The Israel Marathon Association said Thursday that the Association of International Marathons and Distances Races has displayed a “discriminatory nature” against the Bible Marathon that “will certainly result in great anger” among runners around the world.

Next month’s Bible Marathon stretches from central Israel to the Israeli community of Shiloh, tracing a path described in the Book of Samuel. Organizers call the route the oldest recorded marathon in history.

The Greek-based organization said it had to exclude the Israeli marathon to comply with international law. The Israeli association asked it to reconsider, noting that it has long recognized the Laayoune Marathon in the disputed Western Sahara region controlled by Morocco.

In its letter, the Israel Marathon Association asked for the Bible Marathon’s membership in the international body to be restored. Should it not, it vowed to resist “the unjust and politicized denial of membership to the world’s oldest running event in every forum available to us.”

By: AP

Israel Marathon AssociationJudea and SamariaShiloh