esportainment

A Saudi judo competitor forfeited her first round match at the Olympic Games to avoid going up against a rival from Israel, it has been claimed. Joud Fahmy was supposed to have taken on Christianne Legentil from Mauritius for the right to take on Israel's Gili Cohen in the next round. But before the clash, Saudi officials tweeted that she had injured her arm and leg during training and that medics had told her to pull out. Saudi Arabia and Israel have no official relations and the kingdom prohibits its citizens from travelling to Israel. It also does not grant visas to Israelis. In the end, five-time Israeli champion Cohen, 25, was beaten by Christianne Legentil. Fahmy was one of four women Saudi Arabia sent to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, doubling its female participation after two women.