Israel secured 5th place in the tournament by defeating Poland 83-80 on Sunday.

By JNS

The British Paralympic wheelchair basketball team disrespected the Israeli national anthem before a match against the Blue and White in Cologne on Saturday, turning their heads away as “Hatikva” was played.

Israel lost the game 74-64 in the third and final game of the group stage of the Nations Cup, a tournament that is preparation for the European Championships in October. Israel beat Germany and lost to Japan before Saturday’s match.

Israel secured 5th place in the tournament by defeating Poland 83-80 on Sunday.

Israel’s Sport 5 channel reported that the professional staff from the U.K. squad respected the anthem, making it easier to decide to proceed with the game.

Moshe “Mutz” Matalon, chairman of the Israel Paralympic Committee, intends to contact the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation to protest “the shameful behavior, which goes against the spirit of Paralympic sports.”

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A Ness Ziona native, Margalit, 29, has been in a wheelchair since the age of 14 after suffering from the disease transverse myelitis.

By Shiryn Ghermezian, The Algemeiner

Israeli wheelchair dancer Tomer Margalit and her dance partner Orel Chalaf won first place at the Para Dance Sport European Championship held in Prague on Friday with a combination freestyle routine that was set to Eden Golan‘s Eurovision song “October Rain.”

The dancing duo also dedicated their routine to the hostages still held captive by Hamas terrorists since being abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, during their deadly rampage across southern Israel.

The dancers performed parts of their routine while blindfolded and tried to resemble the victims of the Oct. 7 attack by wearing garments that were torn, dirty, or appeared to be blood-stained.

A Ness Ziona native, Margalit, 29, has been in a wheelchair since the age of 14 after suffering from the disease transverse myelitis. Chalaf, 21, is a professional Latin dancer, according to Ynet.

The two dancers said that many of their competitors in the Para Dance Sport European Championship, as well as others involved in the competition, asked them to explain their dance, costumes and the significance of the song, according to the Israel Paralympic Committee.

They welcomed the opportunity to draw awareness to the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, including the remaining hostages. Margalit and Chalaf said they hope that by the next Para Dance World Championship, the hostages will be back home and there will be no longer a need to call for their return.

“October Rain” has lyrics that directly reference the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel. The song was initially written for Golan to perform at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden.

However, it was rejected by the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the contest, for being too political. Golan instead competed in the Eurovision with a reworded version of the song, titled “Hurricane,” and finished in fifth place in the international competition.

The 2024 Para Dance Sport European Championship took place from Nov. 22-24. Margalit shared in an Instagram post that she won first place a total of three times in the competition this year, including in solo dances.

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