By John Irish and Zhifan Liu
PARIS (Reuters) – Israeli judokas on Thursday brought smiles to hundreds of cheering and flag-waving fans as they won the country’s first medals at the Paris Olympics, putting aside controversies, threats and the shadow of war,
The conflict in Gaza in which at least 39,400 Palestinians have been killed since Israel unleashed its offensive against Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel has placed the spotlight on the Israeli delegation at Paris 2024.
On Thursday, however, the judo tatami will have come as a welcome relief as Inbar Lanir, the 2023 world champion competing in the under 78kg category, and Israel’s Games flag bearer Peter Paltchik in the men’s under 100kg won silver and bronze medals.
The Arena Champs de Mars was awash with Israeli fans eagerly waving flags and screaming for their heroes. Some showed that politics was still not far way wearing yellow T-shirts, a symbol in support of about 120 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
“I could hear the audience, the Israeli audience during the whole day,” Lanir told reporters after her defeat by Italian Alice Bellandi.
On the podium with Bellandi and the bronze medallists, it was a moment for selfies.
“This country is the most important thing in my heart. And I hope I made them a little happier today,” Lanir said.
For Ukrainian-born Paltchik the bronze was perhaps even more poignant. He has been accused of “signing bombs” to be used in Gaza, something the Israeli Olympic Committee has denied categorically and said was a “smear campaign”.
“Mr. Palchik was not on the battlefield, and had nothing to do with pictures being shared online presenting a marked artillery shell,” it said in a statement to Reuters.
“Mr Paltchik merely reshared an image that was circulating online, in order to support the victims and their families.”
After securing his bronze, Paltchik declined to speak about the incident.
“I don’t want to go inside (into it), I want to respect the podium, the Olympics values, my heart goes to the all hostages, my heart goes to everyone,” Paltchik said.
Perhaps the medal was most heartfelt, however, for Paltchik’s coach Shay-Oren Smadja, who won bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
His son, Omer, was killed in Gaza in June.
“It was very important for me to be here, to bring the spirit to the athletes, because we worked every day for four years for this moment and I asked my wife and children if it was ok for me to be here,” Smadja said.
“We are proud of our country, we love our country, we want to win the war because what happened on Oct. 7 is very sad, I think the people in the world did not understand it.”
(Reporting by John Irish, editing by Ed Osmond)
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