Malaysia starts sporting war with Israel
A SECOND storm involving Israel, Malaysia and sport is brewing, with the blue-and-white table tennis squad still waiting to receive visas for the World Table Tennis Championships which are being held in Kuala Lumpur in February.
The Israeli Table Tennis Association has been working with its Malaysian equivalent over recent months to resolve the matter, but so far to no avail.
This latest apparent snub comes just days after Israeli windsurfers Yoav Omer and Noy Drihan were denied the opportunity to defend their titles at the Youth Sailing World Championships in Langkawi, Malaysia, last week.
The Israel Sailing Association said it could not take part in the competition because of the unreasonable demands set down by the competition’s organisers.
The organisers had apparently stated that the surfers would not be permitted to compete under the Israeli flag and would not be allowed to use any symbol identifiable with Israel on their clothes or surfboards.
The hosts had also said that should an Israeli win a gold medal, the Israeli national anthem would not be played.
Having been notified by the Israel Sailing Association of the reasons it could not compete, World Sailing announced that it is holding an investigation and seeking clarification from the Malaysian organisers.
ALLON SINAI
THE JERUSALEM POST
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