American Jewish Committee (AJC) has hailed the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board to strip Malaysia of the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships because the country refused to admit Israeli athletes.
“Today’s decision is a great victory for the Paralympic spirit,” said AJC CEO David Harris, who had written to the Governing Board earlier in the week, calling on it to relocate the competition. “The IPC Governing Board has sent a crystal-clear message that it will not tolerate violations of its own code of conduct. Blatant discrimination by Malaysia against athletes from Israel was just that.”
AJC had submitted a petition, signed by people from more than 70 countries, including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, and Malaysia itself, to the IPC Governing Board before the group announced its decision.
Malaysian government officials had made it clear that Israeli athletes would not be permitted to enter the country in order to participate in the championships, which had been set to take place in the city of Kuching in July. No other country’s athletes—only Israeli athletes—were to be barred from competing in the event, which is a qualifier for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahatir Mohamad, who had publicly defended his government’s ban on Israeli athletes, has called Jews “hooked-nosed,” engaged in Holocaust denial, promoted conspiracy theories alleging a Jewish plot to take over the world, and sought to bar the New York Philharmonic from playing a musical piece by a Jewish composer during a concert in Kuala Lumpur.
SOURCE: American Jewish Committee
