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Israel’s national judo team pulled out of a major competition in Uzbekistan at the behest of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency over security concerns after the country declared war on Iran.
The Israel Judo Association (IJA), widely considered to be the country’s most successful Olympic sports program, was forced to abandon the Tashkent Grand Slam and leave Uzbekistan as tensions rise amid Israel’s attack on Iran and Iran’s subsequent counterattack, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The recent strikes between Israel and Iran have resulted in disruptions for both countries’ sports teams.
Citizen of Israel gymnastics team has suspended all training and team activities amid the recent Iranian counterattack on the country following the US-backed attacks on Iran.
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The Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) issued a statement to Pakinomist Digital announcing that the violence has caused “unavoidable disruption.”
“The current security situation in our region has resulted in unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty around the national teams’ professional plans, especially as we are at the start of the international season,” the statement read.
“At this time, all training activities are temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations,” it continued. “Naturally, the suspension of training and the closure of the airspace causes considerable stress and concern. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remains our highest priority. We sincerely hope for safer and calmer days ahead when we can focus solely on sport.”
A team source told Pakinomist Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iran’s counterattack began.
Meanwhile, Iran’s football federation president Mehdi Taj suggested his team would not compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“What is certain is that after this attack we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 on Sunday. “The American regime has attacked our homeland and this is an incident that will not go unanswered.”
“We have to deal with football games tomorrow – tonight we celebrate their opportunity for freedom,” Andrew Guiliani, the director of The White House World Cup task force, wrote X on Saturday.
FIFA also noted that it will monitor the situation with Iran.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has asked all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue sheltering in place, either in or near their residences as Iran continues to fire missiles against Israel.
Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday when Tehran’s latest missile barrage landed just kilometers from Jerusalem.
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Iran’s military has carried out counterattacks against Israel and US bases in the Middle East after a joint US-Israeli strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
The attacks also killed several other top Iranian leaders, including the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
