Israeli fencing team takes gold at European Championship as Swiss athletes turn their backs on Israeli national anthem in political protest

The Israeli male under-23 team won on Saturday evening the gold medal at the European Fencing Championship (U23) in the Estonian capital Tallinn. The Israeli victory was partly overshadowed by the Swiss silver-winning team members’ decision to turn their backs on the Israeli team while the Israeli national anthem Hatikva ('hope' in Hebrew), was playing. Israel defeated Switzerland in the final 45-34. 

The Swiss team’s anti-Israel conduct was likely linked to the ongoing war in Gaza, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel and massacred 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 251 people. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar praised the Israeli team while condemning the conduct of the Swiss team. 

"Congratulations to Israel’s Under-23 fencing team for winning the gold medal at the European Championships. Congratulations as well to Italy’s team for earning the bronze. Shame on the Swiss team for their disrespectful behavior, which disgraced and embarrassed the country they were supposed to represent," Sa’ar wrote in a post on 𝕏.

An Israel Fencing Association representative also criticized the Swiss team’s conduct. "Sport should bring people together, not divide them."

The Israel Fencing Association described the victory as "an extraordinary achievement that highlights the ability, sportsmanship, and determination of our athletes." The organization also praised the Israeli team’s coach for his "inspiring and professional leadership." The association stressed that the gold medal constituted a "great source of Israeli pride."

During the World Fencing Championship in Istanbul in May 2023, the Iraqi fencing team refused to compete against the Israeli team and withdrew from the competition. 

"The Iraqi national team withdrew from the individual races in the World Cup fencing championship, which is taking place in Istanbul and qualifies for the Paris Olympics after the lottery pitted it against the team of the 'occupying Israeli entity,'" the Iraqi Fencing Federation stated. 

"The decision to withdraw came in compliance with the law criminalizing normalization approved by the Iraqi parliament, in rejection of the occupying Israeli entity, and in solidarity with the Palestinian cause,” it added. 

Iraq and Israel have no official diplomatic relations, and Baghdad still refuses to recognize the Jewish state’s very existence. The countries are officially still in a state of war since the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered the firing of 39 Scud missiles against Israel during the First Gulf War in 1991. 

In contrast, Switzerland and Israel generally enjoy solid diplomatic relations. Due to its neutrality policy, Switzerland normally avoids officially taking sides in conflicts. However, like in most Western countries, there has been an increase in anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incidents in Switzerland since the aforementioned events of Oct. 7.

In December 2024, the Swiss parliament departed from the country’s neutrality tradition and voted to ban the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist militia Hezbollah. The move came after Switzerland had already outlawed the terrorist organization Hamas and decided to cut financial assistance to the UN agency UNRWA due to its close affiliation with Hamas. Switzerland has previously been among the largest financial donors to the disgraced UN agency. 

The Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans criticized the parliament’s decision. “If Switzerland now moves to ban such organizations with special laws, we must ask ourselves where and how the boundaries are drawn,” Jans argued during a debate in the national parliament.