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| 2025-01-01 | |||
| [IsraelTimes] Israeli players have been barred from next month’s World Indoor Bowls Championships in England after a campaign by pro-Palestinian groups. The decision has been condemned by a local parliamentarian and Jewish representatives. The World Bowls Tour says in a statement the involvement of Israeli bowlers at the Scottish International Open in August had produced “a significant escalation in related political concerns. “As a result of the intensity of the situation, the WBT Board, in consultation with our event partners and other relevant stakeholders, has made the difficult decision to withdraw the invitation for Israel to participate in the forthcoming World Indoor Championships,” it adds. “Bowls is, and always has been, a sport that unites people and this choice reflects our commitment to protecting the championships and ensuring they run smoothly for everyone involved.” The decision removes Daniel Alomin from the singles draw and pairs players Amnon Amar and Itai Rigbi. The Norfolk Palestine Solidarity Campaign says the move was the result of joint action with Scottish Sports for Palestine and Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card. Rupert Lowe, member of parliament for the populist Reform party in the Great Yarmouth constituency that hosts the championships in Hopton-on-Sea, says on X he was “genuinely disgusted” and would fight it. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said there was no justification for an “overt act of discrimination against Israeli participants, who are excluded solely on the basis of their nationality.” World Bowls, the Melbourne-based recognized international federation that organizes the rival World Bowls Indoor Championships, emphasizes that the WBT was not affiliated with them and had made the decision alone. “World Bowls has 60 member countries from across the world including Israel and all of our members continue to be welcome and eligible to participate in all World Bowls-staged events,” it adds.
“Bowls is, and always has been, a sport that unites people and this choice reflects our commitment to protecting the championships and ensuring they run smoothly for everyone involved.”
[IsraelTimes] The World Bowls Tour has reversed its decision barring the Israeli national team from participating in the Bowls World Championships in England next month, Channel 12 reveals. In a letter to the team published by the network, WBT apologizes for the earlier decision. “We would firstly wish to extend our sincere apologies to both you and to PBA Israel, for any upset or offense that we have caused by the withdrawal of the invitation to the three members of PBA Israel in advance of the January 2025 championships. This was absolutely not our intention.
“However, over the past 48 hours, we have been exploring practical ways in which our concerns could be overcome, so as to enable the invitation to PBA Israel to be reinstated. We are pleased to say that following discussions with various partner agencies, we have been able to confirm today an increase in the security presence at the event. The WBT Board is accordingly satisfied that this increased level of security which will be in place is sufficient to be able to welcome the PBA Israel Team to the event starting on 10 January 2025,” the letter continues. “The sole consideration behind this [initial] difficult decision had been the safety and security of all participants, staff and attendees involved in the tournament. Following significant feedback and credible concerns regarding the potential risks posed to,” the WBT chief claims. “We fully understand how upsetting our earlier decision would have been to the competitors from Israel, which is why we have sought to try and find a solution that would enable the invitation to be reinstated.” The Norfolk Palestine Solidarity Campaign had said the earlier move to bar the Israeli team from participating was the result of joint action with Scottish Sports for Palestine and Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card. | |||
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