From the stands to the field: It is time to stop antisemitism in sports
90 years after the Berlin Olympics, manifestations of antisemitism and the boycotting of Israeli athletes remind us how exclusion and hatred can become part of the sports world. International sports bodies must draw a clear line and impose real sanctions on athletes, clubs, and fans who violate the rules.
When an athlete refuses to shake hands with an Israeli opponent, when a competitor withdraws to avoid meeting an Israeli, or when a crowd turns the stands into a stage for hate speech, this is not an isolated incident. 90 years after the Berlin Olympics in August 1936, history reminds us that antisemitism does not start only with laws, fences, ghettos, and camps. It also starts on the field, the moment that exclusion is met with silence.
The Berlin Olympics were one of the most sophisticated propaganda projects of Nazi Germany. The world marveled at the stadiums, the ceremonies, and the exemplary organization, while the regime was already excluding Jews from sports and public life. Sport, which was supposed to be a symbol of equality and fairness, became a tool designed to validate a reality of discrimination that led to extermination, when the Nazi regime wiped out a generation of Jewish athletes with achievements, trophies, and records.
Alfred Flatow, who represented Germany in gymnastics, won three gold medals in Athens in 1896. The same country that cheered for him sent him to die in the Theresienstadt ghetto. Attila Petschauer, a two-time Olympic champion in fencing, was sent to forced labor and died after severe abuse. And there were also those who won in an inspiring way — French swimmer Alfred Nakache returned from Auschwitz to represent France at the Olympic Games. Agnes Keleti, who survived in Hungary under a false identity, became one of the most decorated gymnasts in the history of the Olympic Games and contributed greatly to the development of the field in Israel as well.
Today, one must not take lightly the sparks that echo history. In Rio 2016, Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby refused to shake the hand of Or Sasson after their bout. In Tokyo 2021, Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine withdrew from the competition to avoid meeting Tohar Butbul. Since then, we have also seen manifestations of antisemitism in the stands, incitement calls, and attempts to distance Israeli athletes and teams from international arenas.
Why does an athlete's identity become a legitimate consideration in how they are treated?
We must act differently. The Chelsea football club turned the fight against antisemitism into a real policy: as part of "Say No to Antisemitism," it combined sanctions against fans who expressed antisemitism with educational programs, meetings with Holocaust survivors, and visits to memorial sites, based on the concept that it is not enough to ban a fan — one must change their behavior. Borussia Dortmund from the German league has been organizing fan trips to Auschwitz and memorial sites for years, and at the same time launched a "No beer for racists" campaign in fan pubs to give them tools to deal with racist remarks.
The International Olympic Committee, FIFA, UEFA, FIBA, the EuroLeague, the NBA, tennis associations, and leading sports bodies must draw a line: anyone who boycotts an athlete because of their nationality or identity, who refuses to compete against them, and who brings racism and antisemitism to the field or the stands — must know that there will be a price, real sanctions against athletes, clubs, teams, and fans who violate the rules. This is not a problem of sports, it is a problem of society.
The author is the CEO of the March of the Living in Israel.
