Boycotts of Israel in sports refer to various disqualifications and denial of Israeli athletes due to the refusal of some countries to recognize the state of Israel[1] and to outrage about Israeli actions such as theGaza genocide.[2][3]As part of a more or less systematicboycott of Israel, Israeli athletes and teams have been barred from some competitions. In many international competitions, where Israel does take part, such as theOlympic Games, someArab and Muslim competitors avoid competing against Israelis.[4] Some countries, most notablyIran, even compel their athletes not to compete against Israelis or in Israel.[5][6]
TheIsrael Football Association was a member of theAsian Football Confederation (AFC) group ofFIFA between 1954 and 1974. Because of theArab League boycott of Israel, several Arab andMuslim states refused to compete against Israel. The political situation culminated in Israel winning the1958 World Cup qualifying stage for Asia and Africa without playing a single game, forcing FIFA to schedule a playoff between Israel andWales to ensure the Israeli team did not qualify without playing at least one game (which Wales won). In 1974, Israel was expelled from the AFC group by a resolution initiated by Kuwait, which was adopted by AFC by a vote of 17 to 13 with 6 abstentions.[7] To get around the ban, Israel was admitted as an associated member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in 1992, and was admitted as a full member of the UEFA group in 1994. Supporters of theBoycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement have advocated for Israel to be expelled or suspended from FIFA, without success.[8] On 24 August 2018, the President of thePalestinian Football Association (PFA)Jibril Rajoub was finedCHF 20,000 (US$20,333) and banned from FIFA matches for a year for inciting hatred and violence against an Argentinian team proposing to play a friendly match in Israel.[9]
The1976 Chess Olympiad was held in the Israeli city of Haifa, which generated controversy, since several countries, such as the Soviet Union and the Arab nations, did not recognize the state of Israel. AsFIDE refused to change the venue, the Soviet team boycotted the tournament in protest, as did all Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe and FIDE member Arab nations, which held analternative Chess Olympiad in the Libyan city ofTripoli.[10][11]
In October 2017, when an IsraeliTal Flicker won gold in an international judo championship in the United Arab Emirates, officials refused to fly the Israeli flag and play the Israeli national anthem, instead playing the official music of theInternational Judo Federation (IJF) and flying the IJF's logo.[12] The UAE also banned Israeli athletes from wearing their country's symbols on uniforms,[12] having to wear IJF uniforms. Other contestants such asGili Cohen received similar treatment. In December 2017, seven Israelis were denied visas by Saudi Arabia to compete in an international chess tournament.[13] In October 2018, the UAE reversed its position allowing the Israeli flag be displayed and anthem played when an Israeli judokaSagi Muki won a gold medal.[14]
On 24 May 2018, a team of international jurists, including Harvard ProfessorAlan Dershowitz, announced a plan to petition the internationalCourt of Arbitration for Sport against the exclusion of Israel's flag and anthem at sporting events in Arab countries.[15] In July 2018, the International Judo Federation cancelled two grand slam judo events, inTunis andAbu Dhabi, because Israeli flags were not allowed to be raised.[16] Also in July 2018, theWorld Chess Federation said it will ban Tunisia from hosting the international chess competition in 2019 if it does not grant a visa to Israeli contestants, including a seven-year-old Israeli girl champion.[17]
In March 2019, the Israeli national anthem was played inQatar after Israeli gymnastAlexander Shatilov won the gold medal for the floor exercise during the2019 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series.[18] The anthem had previously been played inAbu Dhabi in October 2018, after Israeli judokaSagi Muki won the gold medal in the Judo Grand Competition.[19]
In 2024 New Year's Eve,Jordan's Football Association (JFA) asked in a statement from the global sports community for determining “decisive action to stop the aggression against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied territories.” Based on the statement, in order to restrict Israeli sport in International competition, "stringent sanctions" were demanded.[20]
In 2009, there was an increased number of boycotts and boycott campaigns against Israeli athletes overOperation Cast Lead. Israeli tennis starShahar Peer was denied a visa to participate in a tournament inDubai, leading to comments from stars likeSerena Williams andAndy Roddick that were critical of the Dubai authorities' decision, with Roddick later pulling out of a tournament in Dubai. After a response that included a cable network cancelling its coverage of the event and a large fine for the Dubai Tennis Authorities, the United Arab Emirates did issue a visa for Israeli tennis playerAndy Ram to compete that year. Campaigners in New Zealand asked Peer to heed the BDS call and not participate in local NZ tournaments, but Peer publicly dismissed them and the officials welcomed Peer's participation.
Tennis authorities inMalmö,Sweden wanted to cancel aDavis Cup match between Israel and Sweden because ofanti-Israel riots and because the city council did not want the Israeli team competing in the city. The tennis authorities were unwilling to accept a Swedish forfeit, which would have eliminated Sweden from the competition, and decided to bar spectators from the match instead (Israel ended up knocking Sweden out of the 2009 tournament with a 3–2 series victory). As a punishment, the city was banned from hosting Davis Cup matches for five years and fined thousands of dollars.[21]
Supporters of the BDS movement also tried and failed to have Israeli teams barred from the2012 London Olympics and the2016 Rio Olympics. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Egypt'sIslam El Shehaby provoked outrage after refusing to shake hands with Israeli judoka,Or Sasson.[12]
On 18 January 2019, Israel called upon theInternational Paralympic Committee to move theWorld Paralympic Swimming Championships scheduled for Malaysia in July 2019 because it has refused to let Israelis participate.[22][23] 10 days later, the IPC confirmed that due to Malaysia's actions regarding Israeli visas, the championships would be stripped from Malaysia and moved to another location. The IPC board said Malaysia “failed to provide the necessary guarantees that Israeli Para swimmers could participate, free from discrimination, and safely in the Championships”, including full compliance with the IPC protocols related to anthems and flags.[24]
In July 2021, Algerian judo athleteFethi Nourine withdrew from the2020 Tokyo Olympics rather than face an Israeli competitor. The International Judo Federation (IJF) temporarily suspended Nourine and his coach.[25]
In March 2023,Indonesia wasstripped of hosting rights for the2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup after senior government officials stated they would not allow Israel's participation in Bali, where several matches had been scheduled to take place.[26] The tournament was moved to Argentina, where the Israeli team joined the competition; Indonesia ended up not being in the tournament at all because their national team had not qualified on the field and lost their automatic host nation spot when FIFA pulled the event out of the country.
According to the announcement of the International Ice Hockey Federation, after the suspension of Belarus and Russia from the tournament, in February 2024, Israel was also removed from the tournament due to security reasons. To much outcry, they were then reinstated.[27]
AfterOctober 7 attacks in 2023, a letter in the European Parliament, and the dispute between Israeli and Irish basketball players led to forming a petition to ban Israel from international sports. The petition by theDemocracy in Europe Movement 2025 called for the suspension of Israel from the international games and had attracted around 70,000 signatures as of February 16.[28]
AtEuroBasket qualifier in 2024 February, Ireland's national women's basketball players did not shake hands with their Israeli opponents due to "outrage over accusations of antisemitism".[29]
On 17 May 2024,FIFA announced that they would hold a special council meeting on 20 July to determine if theIsrael Football Association would be suspended from international competitions.[30] However, the decision was delayed to an unfixed date after 31 August – after2024 Summer Olympics in which Israel participated.[31] On 3 October 2024, FIFA again delayed the decision of suspension, citing that they will first investigate the allegations of discrimination raised by thePalestine Football Association.[32][33] These delays in regards to suspension of Israel came in contrast to FIFA's quick decision to suspendRussia in the light ofRussian invasion of Ukraine.[34]
During aUEFA Champions League match againstBayern Munich, fans ofCeltic F.C. raised a banner calling on FIFA to "Show Israel the Red Card." The campaign was organized by the Celtic ultras group, theGreen Brigade. Fans in several other countries subsequently created similar displays using the slogan to call for Israel's suspension.[35][36]
Prior to Italy's2026 World Cup qualification matches against Israel, the Italian Football Coaches’ Association (AIAC) called for Israel to be suspended from UEFA and FIFA over the Gaza war.[37]
In September 2025, reports surfaced that Spain could possibly boycott the2026 FIFA World Cup should Israel qualify and be allowed to compete.[38] That same month, a joint letter from Irish clubBohemians, Irish Sport for Palestine, and FairSquare called on UEFA and FIFA to suspend Israel.[39] Later that month, theTurkish Football Federation called for Israel to be suspended from UEFA and FIFA.[40] In October 2025,Amnesty International called for FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel over settlement clubs in the West Bank.[41]
Gary Winston Lineker has been the presenter of the popular football showMatch of the Day since 1990. In May 2025, it was announced that he would step down from theBBC show at the end of the 2024-2025 Premier League season due to posts regarding Zionism.[42]
Entry visas must be granted to the gymnasts/athletes and to the officials of all Member Federations. In the event that this requirement is not fulfilled, the allocation of the event would be cancelled with immediate effect by the Executive Committee.
Less than two weeks before the start of the2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Indonesia's senior minister of law,Yusril Ihza Mahendra, announced that Indonesia would reject the visas for Israeli athletes due to their support of Palestine in theGaza war, adding that this decision is in line with Indonesian PresidentPrabowo Subianto's condemnation of Israel for its continued attacks on theGaza Strip.[44][45][46] This came after Israel's planned participation sparked intense opposition in Indonesia, according toPramono Anung,governor of Jakarta. He cited the fact that many politicians and Muslim groups called for an Israeli ban for this competition, with Indonesian social media users objecting to the arrival of athletes from a country that iscommitting genocide.[44] Furthermore, Indonesia has nodiplomatic ties with Israel and has refused to host Israeli sports delegations going back to 1962, when Israel and Taiwan were denied entry to compete in the1962 Asian Games.[46] Originally, the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation had submitted a letter to sponsor six Israeli athletes for visas, but the letter had since been withdrawn.[47] The FIG released a short statement saying that it "recognizes the challenges that the host country has faced in organizing the event" but did not comment on its statutes requiring that visas be issued to competitors.[48]
In response to the refusal to issue visas, theIsrael Gymnastics Federation (IGF) submitted an urgent appeal to theCourt of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking for their athletes to be allowed to compete, or alternatively that the competition be canceled or moved to an alternative location that will issue visas to all competitors.[49] In their appeal, the IGF argued that the FIG statutes require the FIG Executive Committee to pass a decision to move or cancel the event if entry visas are not granted to all participating delegations.[50] On October 14, the CAS rejected the appeal for urgent provisional measures, and therefore the competition would go on as scheduled and without Israeli participation.[50][51] However, the second appeal, as to whether the FIG is in breach of their statutes, will remain ongoing,[50] but it will not be heard before the start of the competition.[46] After the start of the World championship,International Olympic Committee announced that it was ending "any form of dialogue" with Indonesia about hosting future Olympic events (includingYouth Olympic Games, Olympic events and conferences). IOC also recommended all global sports federations to not hold events in Indonesia. Before this controversy, Indonesia was considered as one of candidate to hold 2036 Summer Olympic games.[52]
Palestinian sports organizations and sports organizations from Arab countries have called for sanctions to be imposed against Israel and to prevent its participation in the2024 Summer Olympics due to theGaza war in theGaza Strip. The calls from the organizations have been prompted by concerns about the war's impact on Palestinian athletes and sports facilities.[53][20] These calls have come with comparisons to Russia and Belarus, who were banned followingthe former's invasion of Ukraine and whose participants were only allowed under theIndividual Neutral Athletes label. In November 2023, Russia accused the IOC of having double standards by not sanctioning Israel due to its military actions in Gaza, as Palestine is also anIOC member.[54] In January 2024, over 300 Palestinian sports clubs called for Israel to be barred from the 2024 Olympics afterIsraeli airstrikes had killed Palestine's Olympic football team coach, and damaged the headquarters of thePalestine Olympic Committee in Gaza.[55]
American academic and former professional soccer playerJules Boykoff described the double standards as "glaring" and questioned the IOC's treatment of Israel compared to Russia stating, "If taking over sports facilities are a red line, why silence as Israel converts Gaza's historicYarmouk Stadium into an internment camp?".[53] Boykoff has also stated that Israel'svarious settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights "would be in clear violation [of the Olympic charter] in the same way as what Russia has done".[56]
In February, 26 left-wing French lawmakers sent a letter to the IOC, urging sanctions against Israel, and calling for a ban on Israeli athletes competing under their flag and anthem. The lawmakers cited Israel's allegedwar crimes in the Gaza Strip as the reason for their stance. They proposed that Israeli athletes participate neutrally, similar to Russian and Belarusian athletes, during the Games.[57][58]
The IOC has cautioned athletes against boycotting or discriminating others, stating that immediate action will follow any discriminatory behavior such as the case of Algerian judokaFethi Nourine, who received a ten-year ban following his refusal to fightTohar Butbul, an Israeli in2020. The IOC also stated that athletes are not to be held accountable for their government's actions.[59] In March 2024, IOC PresidentThomas Bach made it clear there was no issue regarding Israel participating at the 2024 Summer Olympics and cautioned athletes against boycotts and discrimination.[60]
Following the Israeli attacks on theYarmouk stadium, the Palestinian Football Federation asked FIFA to condemn Israel. 200 Irish athletes also supported this action and demanded the exclusion of Israel from the Olympics.[27] Also press conference held in Beirut under the title "Stop the genocide of the Palestinian people" aiming at preventing Israel from participating in the Paris Olympics.[61]
In August 2019, Iranian judokaSaeid Mollaei refused to withdraw from a match at the2019 World Judo Championships in Tokyo which would have required, had he won, to compete against an Israeli judoka Sagi Muki in the final. Though he lost, and so did not need to compete against the Israeli, Mollaei feared returning to his country and sought political asylum in Germany.[5] Following the episode, the International Judo Federation (IJF) suspended Iran from competing in any future judo competition.[62] In 2021,Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) lifted Iran's Judo Ban, saying there was "no legal basis" to ban Iran from the competitions for directing an athlete not to compete against an Israeli competitor.[63] Later on, Egyptian judokaMohamed Abdelaal refused to shake hands with Israeli Sagi Moki in the same championship.[64] In October 2019, two Iranian teenagers also refused to play Israelis in a chess tournament.[62] On 17 November 2019, the Israeli national anthem was played and Israeli flag flown in Abu Dhabi when 17-year-old Alon Leviev took gold in the junior category at the Ju-jitsu World Championship.[65] In December 2019,Alireza Firouzja, the world's second-highest rated junior chess player, applied to renounce his Iranian citizenship over pressures on Iranian athletes to forego matches with Israeli competitor, the second Iranian sports figure in recent months to do so.[66]
In November 2020, theInternational Chess Federation (FIDE) warned the Iranian Chess Federation (ICF) that it could be facing an imminent international ban for its continued refusal to allow Iranian chess players to compete against their Israeli equivalents.[67]
In August 2023, Iranian weightlifter Mostafa Rajai was banned to compete for life by his federation, after talking to, shaking hands and taking a picture with Israeli Maksim Svirsky during a medal awarding ceremony at the World Masters Championship inWieliczka, Poland.[68]
In 2007,Mushir Salem Jawher, aKenyan-bornmarathoner, lost hisBahraini citizenship after competing in theTiberias Marathon in Israel, but later that year reacquired Bahraini citizenship and competed again in the Tiberias Marathon in 2008, 2009 and 2010.[citation needed]
Despite the country's international political issues, a growing[vague] number of Arab athletes are joining domestic Israeli sports teams and the international teams, including theIsrael national football team. These includeRifaat Turk,Najwan Ghrayib,Walid Badir,Salim Toama,Abbas Suan, amongst others. AnotherArab-Israeli, Johar Abu Lashin, born inNazareth, was anIBO Welterweight champion.
In June 2018, Argentina cancelled a planned football friendly against Israel. The game was originally due to be played inHaifa, but was moved toJerusalem, which is claimed by both Palestine and Israel as capital. Palestinians saw this as politicizing the match, as the stadium it was due to be played in sits on the site of a former Palestinian village. Israeli Minister of CultureMiri Regev denied that the game was being politicised by the move, but was being moved to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Israel. International pressure grew on Argentina to call off the game, led by theBDS campaign and thePalestinian Football Association. Threats were also made against Argentine players. The match was called off, with Argentina giving the reason as security concerns. The BDS campaign and Palestinian FA claimed a victory, with campaign groupAvaaz thanking Argentina for their "brave ethical decision". Argentine StrikerGonzalo Higuain said they had "finally done the right thing", while Argentine Foreign MinisterJorge Faurie said he believed his country's footballers "were not willing to play the game", but also compared the threats his country's players received as "exceeding of (those of)ISIS." Israel's Defence MinisterAvigdor Lieberman responded to the cancellation of the match by calling the BDS campaign "a pack of anti-Semitic terrorist supporters" and claimed that the Argentines couldn't "withstand the pressure of the Israeli-hating inciters". Culture Minister Regev blamed threats onLionel Messi for the cancellation of the friendly match.[69][70] In early November 2019, the BDS movement sought the cancellation of a soccer match between the national teams of Argentina and Uruguay scheduled to be held in Tel Aviv, Israel.[71] The match took place on 19 November.
Since the 21st century, Israeli athletes competing in tournaments have faced boycotts by athletes from Muslim countries (primarilyIran), speculated to be the result of political interferences.
| Date | Retired athlete's name | Israeli athlete's name | Sport type | Event | Official reason for retiring | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 February 2001 | Hamed Malekmohammadi | Yoel Razvozov | judo | 2001 World Judo Championships | [72] | |
| 22 June 2003 | Iran national five-a-side soccer team | Israel national five-a-side soccer team | soccer | 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games | [73] | |
| 15 August 2004 | Arash Miresmaeili | Ehud Vaks | judo | 2004 Summer Olympics | [74] | |
| 4 August 2005 | Iran U-21 men national basketball team | Israel U-21 men national basketball team | basketball | FIBA Under-21 World Championship | Visa issues | [75] |
| 28 January 2007 | Ahmad Ksanfandi (referee) | Gal Yekutiel | judo | 2007 Tbilisi judo Open | [76] | |
| 18 September 2007 | Mehdi Mohammadi | Ilia Shafran | amateur wrestling | 2007 World Wrestling Championships | [77] | |
| 10 August 2008 | Mohammad Alirezaei | Tom Be'eri | swimming | 2008 Summer Olympics | Indigestion | [78] |
| 28 July 2009 | Mohammad Alirezaei | Michael Malul | swimming | 2009 World Aquatics Championships | [79] | |
| 30 September 2009 | Mohammad Hossein Ebrahimi | Tomer Or | fencing | 2009 World Fencing Championships | [80] | |
| 1 October 2009 | Ali Fadja | Slava Zingerman | fencing | 2009 World Fencing Championships | Retired from entire competition | [80][81] |
| 1 October 2009 | Mohammad Mohazzabnia | Tomer Hodorov | tennis | 2009 Kenya Futures F1 | [82] | |
| 4 April 2010 | Iran youth national volleyball team | Israel youth national volleyball team | volleyball | 2010 International Volleyball Tournament Pordenone | [83] | |
| 10 April 2010 | Meisam Bagheri | Moty Lugassi | taekwondo | A-Class Belgian Open 2010 | [84][failed verification] | |
| 28 April 2010 | Iran men's national table tennis team | Israel men's national table tennis team | table tennis | 2011 Luxembourg Table Tennis championship | [85] | |
| 21 May 2010 | Ali Shahhosseini | Misha Zilberman | badminton | 2010 Spanish Open | [86] | |
| 15 August 2010 | Mohammad Soleimani | Gili Haimovitz | taekwondo | 2010 Summer Youth Olympics | [87] | |
| 4 November 2010 | Hamed Sayyad Ghanbari | Maor Hatoel | fencing | 2010 World Fencing Championships | [88] | |
| 4 November 2010 | Mohammad Hossein Ebrahimi | Kobi Hatoel | fencing | 2010 World Fencing Championships | [88] | |
| 5 November 2010 | Hamed Sedaghati | Ido Herpe | fencing | 2010 World Fencing Championships | [89] | |
| 5 November 2010 | Sadegh Abedi | Grigori Beskin | fencing | 2010 World Fencing Championships | [89] | |
| 24 July 2011 | Mohammad Alirezaei | Gal Nevo | swimming | 2011 World Aquatics Championships | Tiredness | [90] |
| 20 August 2011 | Iran men's national volleyball team | Israel men's national volleyball team | volleyball | 2011 Summer Universiade | [91] | |
| 11 September 2011 | Ghasem Rezaei | Robert Avanesyan | amateur wrestling | 2011 World Wrestling Championships | [92] | |
| 18 September 2011 | Javad Mahjoub | Or Sasson | judo | World Cup Tashkent 2011 | [93] | |
| 10 October 2011 | Shervin Tolouei | Oren Bassal | fencing | 2011 World Fencing Championships | [94] | |
| 5 November 2011 | Kaveh Mehrabi | Misha Zilberman | badminton | 2011 Puerto Rico International Challenge | [95] | |
| 21 July 2015 | Saber Hoshmand/Abbas Pourasgari | Sean Faiga/Ariel Hilman | beach volleyball | 2015 FIVB Grand Slam Yokohama | injury | [96] |
| 27 January 2017 | Majid Hassaninia | Jonathan Giller | karate | 21st Open de Paris – Karate Premier League | "what is of paramount importance to every Iranian athlete is his/her beliefs plus support for the defenseless Palestinian nation" | [citation needed] |
| 25 November 2017 | Alireza Karimi | Uri Kalashnikov | wrestling | 2017 World U23 Wrestling Championship | Lost prior match at instruction of coach. | [97] |
| 2 October 2018 | Hossein Vafaei | Eden Sharav | snooker | 2018 European Masters | [98] | |
| 10 December 2018 | Hossein Vafaei | Eden Sharav | snooker | 2018 Scottish Open | [98] | |
| 19 April 2019 | Alireza Firouzja | Or Bronstein | chess | GRENKE Chess Open | [99] | |
| 22 March 2022 | Iran women's national ice hockey team | Israel women's national ice hockey team | Ice Hockey | 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship Division III | ||
| 15 September 2022 | Amir Yazdani | Josh Finesilver | Wrestling | 2022 World Wrestling Championships | Required by coaches to miss weight, as to not wrestle the Israeli athlete in the first round of competition | |
| 26 December 2022 | Bardiya Daneshvar andPouya Idani | Boris Gelfand | chess | World Rapid Chess Championship 2022 | [100] | |
| 2024 | chess | Chess Olympiad |
| Date | Country origin | Boycotting athlete(s)/team | Israeli athlete(s)/team | Sport type | Event | Official reason for retiring | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 June 1979 |  Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka national cricket team | Israel national cricket team | cricket | 1979 ICC Trophy | [101] | |
| 26 July 2001 |  Tunisia | Sadok Khalki | Arik Zeevi | judo | 2001 World Judo Championships | [102] | |
| 6 July 2006 |  Indonesia | Indonesia Fed Cup team | Israel Fed Cup team | tennis | 2006 Fed Cup | [103] | |
| 19 July 2007 |  Kuwait | Mohammed al Ghareeb | Amir Weintraub | tennis | 2007 Togliatti challenger | Stomach problems | [104] |
| 15 August 2008 |  Syria | Bayan Jumah | Anya Gostomelsky | swimming | 2008 Summer Olympics | [105] | |
| 7 February 2010 | Kuwait | Kuwait men's national pool team | Israel men's national pool team | pool | 2010 Hanover world team A championship | Food poisoning of 4 players | [106] |
| 5 May 2011 |  Algeria | Zakaria Chenouf | Adam Sagir | taekwondo | 2011 World Taekwondo Championships | [107] | |
| 1 October 2011 | Algeria | Meriem Moussa | Shahar Levi | judo | World Cup Women Rome 2011 | [108] | |
| 1 October 2011 | Algeria | Rahou Abdelmalek | Artem Masliy | boxing | 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships | [108] | |
| 18 October 2013 | Tunisia | Malek Jaziri | Amir Weintraub | tennis | 2013 Tashkent Challenger | [109] | |
| 7 August 2016 |  Saudi Arabia | Joud Fahmy | Christianne Legentil/Gili Cohen | judo | 2016 Summer Olympics | Sustained injuries to her arm and leg during training; ostensibly dropped out of match with Christianne Legentil of Mauritius to avoid match with Gili Cohen in next round | [110] |
| 28 January 2019 | Kuwait | Abdullah al-Anjari | Eitan Seri-Levi[111] | jiu-jitsu | 2019 Los Angeles International Jiu-jitsu Open | [112] | |
| February 2019 |  Lebanon | Nacif Elias | Li Kochman | judo | Paris Grand Slam 2019 | [113] | |
| February 2019 | Lebanon | Ezzeddine Faraj | taekwondo | 2019 European Junior Championships | [113] | ||
| March 2019 | Lebanon | Bassam Safadieh | table tennis | 2019 Table Tennis Mediterranean Championships U-15 | [113] | ||
| 25 September 2019 | Lebanon | Domenic Abounader | Uri Kalashnikov[113] | amateur wrestling | 2019 World Wrestling Championships | [114] | |
| November 2019 |  Jordan | Mohammed Eid | Amir Assad | kickboxing | 2019 International Turkish Open Kickboxing European Cup | [115] | |
| 3 June 2021 | Jordan | Osama Abu Jame | Shmuel Ben Asor | table tennis | 2021 World Para Table Tennis Championships | [116] | |
| July 2021 | Algeria | Fethi Nourine | Tohar Butbul | judo | Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 73 kg | He withdrew from the previous round to avoid competing against an Israeli, as he had done before in the2019 World Judo Championships in Tokyo against Butbul as well | [117][118] |
 Sudan | Mohamed Abdalarasool | He weighed in but didn't show up to the match | [119] | ||||
| January 2022 | Kuwait | Muhammad al-Awadi | tennis | 2022Dubai Tennis Championships for Juniors | [120] | ||
| March 2022 | Kuwait | Abdul Razzaq al-Baghli | surfing | The Emirates International Motosurf Championship | [121] | ||
| May 2022 | Kuwait | Bader Al-Hajiri | chess | Sunway Chess Tournament | [122] | ||
| Kuwait | Kholoud Al-Mutairi | fencing | 2022IWAS World Cup | [123] | |||
| 20 July 2022 |  Oman | Oman national university futsal team | futsal | FISU World University Championship Futsal | [124] | ||
| 11 August 2022 |  Iraq | Nasser Mahdi | Adam Berdichevsky | wheelchair tennis | Open Wheelchair Tennis Tournament | [125] | |
| Muhammad al-Mahdi | Sergei Lysov | ||||||
| 18 August 2022 | Lebanon | Charbel Abou Daher | Yonatan Mak | mixed martial arts | Youth IMMAF World Championships | [126] | |
| September 2022 | Kuwait | Muhammad al-Otaibi | karate | 2022Karate1 Premier League | [127] | ||
| April 2023 | Kuwait | Mohamed al-Fadli | fencing | Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships | He had already withdrawn twice from competing against Israelis in September 2019 and April 2022.[128] | [129] | |
| Kuwait | Ahmed Awad | [129] | |||||
| August 2023 | Syria | Hammam Hashim Mualla | swimming | 2023FINA World Masters Championships | [130] | ||
| 28 September 2024 |  Bangladesh | Enamul Hossain | chess | 2024 Chess Olympiad | [131] |