SANA’A (Dispatches) – In a show of strong solidarity with the Palestinian nation and outright rejection of normalization with the Zionist regime, Yemeni freestyle wrestler Ebrahim al-Shabami has pulled out of the 2023 Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane in France to avoid facing a Zionist opponent.
Shabami was set to participate in the 61-kilogram division of the international tournament at Salle Leyrit in the southeastern French port city of Nice. He, however, withdrew from the competitions as soon as he found out he was scheduled to take on Zionist rival Daniel Popov.
The 2023 Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane kicked off on January 20, and wrapped up on January 22.
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 land.
Last May, a Kuwaiti wheelchair fencer withdrew from the second International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) World Cup of 2022 in Thailand over a draw that set her on course for a match-up against a Zionist opponent.
“Kuwaiti player Kholoud al-Mutairi pulled out of the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) World Cup in Thailand in order not to compete against a contestant from the Zionist entity,” the Kuwait Paralympic Committee wrote in a post published on its Twitter page at the time.
Earlier that month, Kuwaiti chess player Bader al-Hajri snubbed a Zionist opponent at Spain’s Sunway International Chess Championship, in an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people and a blow to the occupying regime’s status in the world.
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) master, who had secured first place at the 2015 San Sebastian chess tournament in Spain, withdrew on May 3 from the competitions to refuse to face a Zionist competitor.
On social media, Arab activists lauded al-Hajri as a champion of “rejecting Arab countries’ normalization” with the regime by refusing to face “an Israeli settler.”