A Jordanian athlete withdraws from a world championship, refusing to meet an Israeli player

Jordanian Osama Abu Jameh, a table tennis player for people with special needs, refused to face an Israeli player in the first group competitions of the World Championships in Slovenia, which qualifies for the Paralympic Games (for people with special needs) scheduled for Tokyo next summer.

The tournament website showed the result of the match, which was awarded to the Israeli player with 3 clean runs, noting that Abu Jameh did not come to play the match, and was considered withdrawn, according to the tournament regulations.

Opinions were divided among the fans through the communication platforms, as some saluted the player for this stance rejecting normalization with the occupier, while others considered that the confrontation could have led to the exclusion of the Israeli player, according to them.

Activist

Safwat Safi commented on his Twitter account, “Osama is a hero who has won several gold medals. He trained well for this competition. Greetings of love and appreciation.”

And one of his followers replied to him, saying, “Play, win, and wipe the earth with his dignity… and let them expel you from the tournament, but (but) you don’t withdraw and open it (and open up to him) the field.”

The tournament will continue until June 8, with the participation of 250 male and female players from 50 countries around the world, and the Jordanian delegation, along with the player Osama Abu Jameh, included his colleague Faten Alimat