Judo governing body to investigate Algerian who missed weight before Olympic bout against Israeli

PARIS — The International Judo Federation will conduct an investigation after Messaoud Dris of Algeria missed weight at the Paris Games on the day before he was scheduled to face Tohar Butbul of Israel.

The bout was scheduled to be the first in the men’s 73-kilogram division Monday, but given its political implications, many suspected it would not happen from the moment Dris and Butbul were matched in the random draw last week.

“Following the Olympic Games, a full review and investigation of the situation will be conducted and further action will be taken if needed,” the IJF said in a statement on Monday.

It added that athletes failing to pass weight control is not unusual at judo competitions, noting that four judokas missed weight at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

“We believe that sport should remain a realm of integrity and fairness, free from the influences of international conflicts,” the judo federation said. “Unfortunately, athletes often become victims of broader political disputes which are against the values of sport.”

Butbul and Israel coach Guy Fogel said they believe Dris was pressured to miss the bout because of Algeria’s fraught relationship with Israel, which has led to several similar incidents in recent judo competitions.

“I think the Algerian athletes and all the Muslim athletes cannot go to the fight with Israeli athletes,” Butbul said. “I think they are the victims in this thing. They won’t let them compete, even though they are athletes. I really wanted to do the fight with him, and it’s not happened. Maybe next Olympics we will meet again, and we can do it.”

Dris weighed in Sunday at 73.4 kilograms, barely missing the weight limit. The IJF said Dris only showed up to the weigh-in 10 minutes before the deadline, which could indicate he had actually been trying and failing to cut weight.

The bout was Butbul's third walkover victory in the past two Olympics, including two against Algerian opponents. In Tokyo three years ago, Algeria’s Fethi Nourine withdrew to avoid a potential second-round matchup with Butbul.

Nourine explicitly cited his support for Palestine in announcing his decision three years ago. Nourine and his coach, Amar Benikhlef, were suspended for 10 years by the IJF. Nourine had also dropped out of the 2019 world championships in Tokyo after advancing to a matchup against Butbul.

Butbul’s second potential opponent also withdrew from the Tokyo Games, although Sudan’s Mohamed Abdalrasool wasn’t sanctioned by the IJF after he cited an injury.

While Nourine had little international success, Dris is a promising 22-year-old who finished seventh at last year’s world championships before winning his third straight African Championship earlier this year.

“I respect him,” Butbul said of Dris. “He’s a very good judoka. He’s a very good athlete. I wish maybe sometime we would have peace in the Middle East so I could go to training in Algeria, and he can go to training in Israel, and we can go to the tatami together and do the fight. Maybe sometime I can shake his hand.”

Butbul lost his first bout in Paris on Monday to world champion Hidayat Heydarov of Azerbaijan.

Algeria does not officially recognize the state of Israel, and the nations have been at constant odds since the Algerian War several decades ago. Israel’s presence at the Paris Games has been protested at various points since the beginning of Israel’s offensive in Gaza last year, but the IOC and France’s government have firmly backed Israel’s right to participate.

Israel has one of the biggest judo teams at the Paris Games with 12 participants, and four Israeli judokas competed in the first two days of the tournament at Arena Champ-de-Mars.

Although none of their opponents avoided Israel’s first four judokas, Abderrahmane Boushita of Morocco and Nurali Emomali of Tajikistan both refused to shake the hand of Israel's Baruch Shmailov following their bouts Sunday. After Shmailov defeated Boushita, he touched his fist to the Israel flag on his gi when Boushita walked away from him.

“It's not the first time that athletes are not going and fighting against Israelis because of whatever,” Fogel said Monday. “It's a part of our story. For me, you don't want to fight, OK. We go on for the next fight."