KUWAIT CITY (Dispatches) – Kuwaiti karate fighter Mohammad al-Otaibi has withdrawn from the 2022 Karate 1-Premier League contests in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to avoid facing a contestant representing the Zionist regime over his support for the Palestinian cause and refusal of normalization with the occupying regime.
Otaibi was set to participate in the male kumite 60-kilogram division of the international tournament. He, however, pulled out of the competitions as soon as he found out he was scheduled to take on Israeli competitor Ronen Gehtbarg.
Otaibi received praise on social media platforms for his stance.
The development comes as athletes from Muslim countries have repeatedly refused to compete against Zionist opponents at major international events to protest the regime’s crimes and occupation of Palestinian lands.
In April, Kuwaiti fencer Mohamed al-Fadli withdrew from the World Fencing Championships held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after he refused to play with a Zionist opponent.
Fadli also withdrew from an international tournament in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, in September 2019, after the draw placed him in a group competing with a player from the occupied territories.
Also in January, teenage Kuwaiti tennis player Muhammad al-Awadi quit an international tennis tournament in the UAE to avoid playing against a Zionist counterpart.
His stance earned widespread praise over support for the Palestinian cause, with pro-Palestine activists describing the move as “part of Kuwait’s supportive positions towards the Palestinian cause” and its opposition to normalizing ties with the occupying regime.
According to Kuwaiti media outlets, Awadi emerged triumphant in his first matches at the Dubai Tennis Championships U-14 and advanced to the semifinal round.
However, he decided to pull out of the tournament as soon as he was told that he was going to face a representative from the occupying regime.