UPDATE: Israeli Youth Judo Team Kicked Out of Polish Tournament After Antisemitic Abuse
90 Israeli children aged 7-16 were expelled from a Polish judo tournament after facing antisemitic chants including "Free Palestine" and physical assaults on coaches.
A group of about 90 Israeli children and teenagers, aged 7 to 16, from judo clubs in Or Akiva and the Sharon region, allegedly faced antisemitic harassment during a youth judo tournament yesterday, leading to their expulsion by organizers.
The event, hosted by the Polish Judo Association, saw spectators directing insults, boos, and antisemitic chants such as "Free Palestine" and "Here come the Jews" at the Israeli delegation throughout the day. Two Israeli coaches were physically assaulted in front of the children. Rather than intervening against the perpetrators, organizers removed the entire Israeli team to de-escalate the situation.
UPDATE:
Polish local authorities and organizers claim the opposite: that an Israeli coach was the one who became aggressive toward a referee over a judging decision, leading to physical contact, police intervention, and the team's disqualification.
This is their version of events, per Jpost:
Local officials, including the Bielsko-Biała police and tournament organizers (hosted by the Polish Judo Association), deny any attacks on the young players or antisemitic motivations. They state the conflict arose from an Israeli coach's dissatisfaction with a referee's decision during a match.
The coach allegedly shouted insults, entered the competition area ("broke into the ring"), and made physical contact with the referee, violating their "physical integrity."
Organizers called the police, who confirmed the physical contact but noted that no formal complaints were filed by either side, and the situation de-escalated without further action.
Tomasz Chmielniak, president of the local Janosik judo club, emphasized to Polish media that "young Israeli players were certainly not attacked" and that if anyone was assaulted, it was the referee by the Israeli coach.
The team was disqualified officially due to this breach.