Islam El Shehaby, the Egyptian Judoka who refused to shake hands with Israel’s Or Sasson, who beat him in the round of 32, the International Olympic Committee said on Monday, according to Reuters.
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Following his defeat, however, el-Shehaby refused to shake hands with the Israeli which led to booing from the crowd.
Last week, Israeli Olympian Or Sasson took down his Egyptian opponent, Islam El Shehaby, in a judo match in Rio.
Israeli athletes have won two medals at the Rio Olympics as of August 15 – both bronze, and both in judo.
The IOC say his conduct was “against the spirit of friendship embodied in the Olympic values'”. The competitors were under no obligation to shake hands, but a bow is mandatory, he added.
Egypt’s Olympic committee, which has also strongly condemned El Shehaby’s actions, was asked by the IOC to educate their athletes on Olympic values before attending the Games in the future.
“El Shehaby, who is known for his extreme anti-Israel views, told Egyptian media outlets that he would make his decision closer to the fight”.
El Shehaby, an ultraconservative Salafi Muslim, had come under pressure from Islamist-leaning and nationalist voices in Egypt before the Rio Games to withdraw, but competed anyway.
Ofir Gendelman, Arabic language spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called the incident “shocking”.
Sasson went on to win bronze in the men’s 100-kilogram judo class.
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Egypt was the first country in the Arab world to sign a peace treaty and normalize relations with Israel after decades of war.
