The Palestine Olympic Committee (POC) has called for a ban on Israeli athletes from participating in the Paris Olympics, The Telegraph reported Friday.
The Telegraph noted that the POC allegedly gathered a dossier showing Israeli Olympians visiting IDF soldiers and signing missiles. The dossier was submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a bid to block Israel from the Games that begin next week.
Deputy secretary general of the POC, Nader Jayousi, blamed Israel “for the human rights violations happening in Gaza, and the killings and murders of every single person.”
Palestinian Olympic Group says Israeli behavior incompatible with ‘Olympic spirit’
The Telegraph quoted his criticism of Israeli athletes for behavior he claims does not align with “Olympic spirit,” such as a judo champion allegedly posting pictures of a signed missile on social media. The report stated that the Israeli judo federation clarified that the athlete did not sign the missile himself.
Despite the urging of the POC, it is unlikely that the IOC will make changes to Israel’s competition status or support an outright ban, The Telegraph reported.
Calls for banning Israel from the Olympics began not long after October 7 and the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. In February, 26 French lawmakers requested the IOC to sanction Israel from participating, according to The Telegraph‘s report. A similar online petition garnered over 640,000 signatures, and protesters demonstrated outside the IOC headquarters in Switzerland.
This case follows an additional Palestinian bid to ban Israel from FIFA.
A Palestinian attempt to temporarily suspend Israel from FIFA was delayed and spared FIFA from a ruling that would have seen Israel’s team ejected from the men’s tournament at the Games.
Reuters contributed to this report.