Organisers refuse to play gold medallist's national anthem

An Israeli judoka has defiantly sung his national anthem alone on the podium after organisers in Abu Dhabi refused to play it.

Tal Flicker won gold at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam judo tournament, where the Israeli flag and national anthem were banned.

Flicker had to compete under the International Judo Federation’s flag, before the same organisation's anthem was played during the medal ceremony.

But as you can see in the video above, Flicker defiantly sung the words to the Israeli anthem anyway.

Israel's sports minister said the country's medal success was a "poke in the eye" of organisers.

"The victories of the Israelis at Abu Dhabi are an Israeli poke in Abu Dhabi's eye," Israeli Sports Minister Miri Regev said according to a statement issued by her office.

Israel won, she said, even if the organisers sought to keep its athletes "hidden in the dark."

She went on to describe the winners' rostrum at Abu Dhabi as the "stage of darkness and anxiety which runs contrary to the Olympic sporting spirit."

Israel and the UAE do not have diplomatic relations, as is the case with many Arab countries.

Israel's participation in international competitions has regularly led to hostile reactions and boycotts from Arab or Muslim organisations or athletes.

Last year at the Olympics, Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby was jeered out of the arena in Rio de Janeiro after refusing to shake hands with his Israeli opponent Or Sasson.

Judo is a leading sport in Israel, and Sasson won one of the country's two bronze medals in Rio.

Stay informed on the go with the new 7Sport app. Get the latest headlines and videos right at your fingertips.

Free from Google Play or the App Store.

with AFP