Iraq’s national fencing team withdrew on Friday from the World Fencing Championship taking place in the Turkish city of Istanbul after knowing that its members would have to face Israeli fencers.
“The Iraqi national team withdrew from the individual matches in the World Fencing Championship which is taking place in Istanbul and is a qualifier for the Paris Olympics after the lottery pitted it against the team of the Israeli occupation state” the Iraqi fencing federation said.
The federation added that its decision was taken in compliance with the Iraqi law that criminalizes any form of normalization with the occupation state and also to show support for the Palestinian cause.
The Iraqi parliament last year passed a bill criminalizing all forms of relations with Israel.
