At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, a Saudi Arabian and an Israeli judo fighter competed against each other for the first time.
Nicolas Messner, Judo International Federation
It all started nine years ago. A first step was taken when Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani took part in a judo tournament at the Olympic Games in London. It was the first time in history that a female athlete from Saudi Arabia was involved. (…)
Ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it was announced that Saudi Arabia, Tahani Alqahtani, had received a wild card at the last minute to compete in the women’s +78kg class. After the official draw, she learned that she would face Raz Hershko from Israel in the first round. Questions immediately arose which were answered today in a highly humanistic and respectful manner by two athletes representing their two delegations.
With what happened today at Nippon Budokan, judo is once again making history and helping to build a better world in which respect is the basic value of human relationships. (…)
Tahani Alqahtani started judo a few years ago at the Saudi Judo Training Center at King Saud University in Riyadh. The 21-year-old immediately showed great ability and stood out from her teammates, so it was obvious that she should be included in the Saudi Arabian women’s senior team. Her goal today was to stand on the tatami and do what she does best.
(From the article “Saudi Arabia and Judo Make History in Tokyo 2020“Published on the website of the World Judo Federation JIF. Translation by Florian Markl.)
