Paris Olympics 2024: Algerian judoka Dris removed from draw ahead of fight against Israel’s Butbul

Algerian Redouane Messaoud Dris’ name was crossed out of the draw for the men’s under-73kg judo event at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, a day before he was scheduled to face Israel’s Tohar Butbul.

“Tohar’s competitor has removed himself from the competition,” the Israeli Olympic Committee said in a statement.

“The Israeli delegation will continue to compete with the Olympic values in mind, we believe this kind of behaviour has no place in the world of sport.”

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The Algerian judo federation and the International Judo Federation were not immediately available to comment.

In 2021, Algerian Fethi Nourine withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics in order to avoid a potential fight against Butbul in the second round. He was then handed a 10-year ban by the International Judo Federation (IJF).

Sudan’s Mohamed Abdalrasool then did not show up to face Butbul in their round of 32 bout despite weighing in earlier.