Team Switzerland (left) turned their backs on winning Israel team (center) at the Under-23 European Fencing Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, April 26, 2025. (X Screenshot)
Ranked seventh at the start, Israel stormed through the tournament, defeating host nation Estonia 45-38, stunning second-seeded Sweden 45-33, dominating Italy by the same score, and ultimately claiming gold with a win over Switzerland.
A moment of sporting triumph turned ugly on Saturday night at the Under-23 European Fencing Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, when members of Switzerland’s silver medal team turned their backs during the tournament’s medal ceremony.
As “Hatikva” played through the arena speakers, Swiss fencers staged their silent protest while Israel’s gold medal team stood on the podium’s highest step.
Israel’s squad of Alon Sarid, Fyodor Khoperski, Yonatan Messika, and Itamar Tavor had just capped a remarkable tournament run with a decisive 45-34 victory over Switzerland in the final.
Ranked just seventh at the competition’s start, Israel blazed through the tournament bracket.
They opened with a 45-38 triumph over host nation Estonia, stunned second-seeded Sweden 45-33, and dominated a strong Italian squad by the same score before taking gold against Switzerland.
While the Israel Fencing Association hailed their win as an “extraordinary achievement that highlights the ability, sportsmanship, and determination of our athletes,” they lamented that their moment of athletic triumph had become “a platform for political hostility.”
The protest also drew swift condemnation from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who wrote on social media:
“Congratulations to Israel’s Under-23 fencing team for winning the gold medal at the European Championships. Congratulations as well to Italy’s team for earning the bronze. Shame on the Swiss team for their disrespectful behavior, which disgraced and embarrassed the country they were supposed to represent.”
This also isn’t the first time Israel’s fencing team has faced protests by opponents. Last May, Iraq’s national fencing team withdrew from a scheduled match against Israel at the World Fencing Championship in Istanbul.
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They also disparaged Christian Zionism.