KUWAIT (Middle East Eye) – Kuwaiti watersports player Abdul Razzaq al-Baghli has pulled out of the Emirates International Motosurf Championship in Abu Dhabi after refusing to compete against a Zionist competitor.
The championship commenced on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, with 34 competitors from around the world taking part.
Al-Baghli confirmed his withdrawal from the water sports event in a video shared to social media on Sunday, citing his “direct interaction with a player from the Zionist entity”.
He proceeded by stating that his decision was consistent with Kuwait’s objective of “persistent support for the Palestinian cause”.
In response to his withdrawal, Tariq al-Shaya, a member of Kuwait’s Supreme Coordinating Committee for Anti-Zionism and Normalization, declared that: “Al-Baghli’s decision is a position that will be engraved in the records of history with gold letters.”
Al-Shaya said in a statement that “expulsion of the Zionist occupation begins with international isolation, which Kuwaiti sportsmen have done in teams and individual games”.
“The message that every Kuwaiti player conveys in all fields is that Palestine will endure, your occupation will cease, and Al-Quds will remain Palestine’s capital for all time,” she concluded.
Ahmed al-Hamad, a member of Kuwait’s National Assembly, added that al-Baghli’s withdrawal from the motorsurf competition “confirms our confidence in our Kuwaiti youth, who are conscious of their country’s affairs”.
“His decision shows Kuwait’s strong and decisive stance against the Zionist entity - it is a direct answer to all those who demand normalization prior to the restoration of Palestinians people’s rights” he added.
Online, the decision was met with widespread praise.
One Twitter user took to social media to say “he has won in the battle of principles, moral values. Generation after generation, we will not recognize Israel.”
Another Twitter user said: “Where are the rest of the Persian Gulf, they should come and learn a little.”
Al-Baghli’s resignation from the Abu Dhabi competition follows a succession of Kuwaiti withdrawals from events in the UAE, including Kuwaiti tennis player Muhammad al-Awadi’s withdrawal from the semi-finals of the international championship for under-14 professionals and Kuwaiti inventor and engineer Jenan Al-Shehab’s departure from Expo 2020 in Dubai this year.