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Israeli team barred from Belgian championship over anti-Israeli vandalism

The European Ultimate Federation banned the Israeli Under-17 team after anti-Israel vandalism and threats led cities to refuse to let them compete.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Belgium caved in to anti-Israel activists Wednesday and kicked Israeli youth teams out of the Ultimate Frisbee European Championships with the agreement of the federation that runs the sport.

The Under-17s of the open and mixed divisions were first supposed to compete in Ghent, but in the late planning stages, the municipality and local police nixed their appearance due to their alleged inability to guarantee the teens’ safety after anti-Israel protests were planned and publicized.

The mayor even threatened to cancel the whole competition if the children took part, although permission had been granted for special Israeli security to come along to ensure the teams’ safety.

Another venue was located, far from the central site, after the Israeli Federation demanded that an alternate be found.

The Israelis also agreed with the Belgian conditions that their youths not participate either in the grand opening ceremony or any social events related to the championship.

Vandals then daubed anti-Israel graffiti at the site Monday night before the first round and threatened demonstrations, leading officials to inform the youth at 6 AM Tuesday that they wouldn’t be playing that day.

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All of Tuesday’s games were postponed as Israel’s foreign and sports ministries, its Belgian embassy, and the Ayelet Association that oversees non-Olympic sports leagues in the country all got involved in the discussion of what solution could be found.

Late that night, the mayor’s office sent a message to the Israeli teams prohibiting them from even entering the venue as spectators, let alone compete, because the police were “unable to provide security.”

In parallel, the European Ultimate Federation announced in a statement that it had agreed to ban the Israelis from the tournament.

Calling the situation “sad, disappointing and unfortunate,” it asked “each and every participant, our Ultimate community, and all supporters to respect this decision and to show good spirit both on and off the field to continue to promote youth development within our sport.”

The Israeli Flying Discs Association (IFDA) refused to comply with the request for understanding.

“When Israeli teenagers are prevented from participating in an international competition because of threats, it is a surrender to terrorism and tacit consent to anti-Semitic activity,” said Association CEO Ayelet Ben-Zion.

“The Israeli team accepted security considerations and agreed to compete in a segregated venue – thus their complete exclusion from the games…is a complete disgrace that requires immediate discussion.”

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The IFDA as a whole also expressed anger over the ban.

“We are angry because we see this as a political decision and not a security related one. Our security detail repeatedly say that there is no risk in us coming to any of the fields,” it said in a statement.

It also said it was infuriated “because the tournament was so eager to have a role in preventing a team from participating or spectating the tournament, just because of their nationality, which is discrimination by definition.”

Ayelet Association head Arik Kaplan said, “It is inconceivable that while the biggest sporting event in the world is taking place in Paris and the message of unity is on everyone’s lips – in a neighboring country, the State of Israel is being boycotted and teenagers are prevented from participating in the European Championship.”

“We are working with all the means at our disposal to punish the various parties, and are working to cancel the competition if Israel does not participate,” he added. “This is a very slippery and dangerous slope and must be stopped in its tracks.”