Swiss Fencing Team Turns Backs to Israeli National Anthem After Defeat

The Swiss fencing team turned their backs to the Israeli national anthem after the Jewish state won gold at the European Championships in Estonia on Saturday.

The Israeli under-23 fencing team beat the Swiss team 45 to 34, even though they were ranked seventh at the start of the contest. Things took a turn for the sour during the medals ceremony, per the Times of Israel:

When the Israeli national anthem “Hatikvah” played, the Israeli team and bronze medalists turned sideways to face the flags, while the Swiss fencers — Yan Auri, Theo Broshar, Yonatan Fohriman, and Sven Vines — remained looking straight ahead.

Sarid said that though the teams shook hands before the contest, after the final ended “some avoided us,” in remarks quoted by the Ynet news site.

He said the Israeli team members was only made aware of the Swiss protest after the ceremony when they saw photos of the incident.

It remains unknown if the Swiss team’s actions were a bitter display of poor sportsmanship in the face of defeat or if they were protesting Israel for political reasons. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the behavior as “disrespectful.”

“Respect!” wrote Sa’ar on X. “Congratulations to the Italian team for winning the bronze,” “Shame on the Swiss team for their disrespectful behaviour. You don’t know how to lose and behaved in a manner which is an embarrassment to you and the country you’re supposed to represent.”

The Swiss Fencing Federation said it will investigate the incident.

Israeli fencer Alon Sarid called the attitude “hurtful.”

“It was very hurtful to see the attitude we received when we won,” Sarid said. “This is disrespecting us, the fencers, and disrespecting the country we represent.”

“Sports should bring people together, not divide them,” a representative of the Israel Fencing Association told reporters.

The president of the Swiss Fencing Federation reportedly expressed “regret” for the team’s behavior, adding that they acted independently without the country’s approval.

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