NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The Israeli national judo team has withdrawn from a major competition in Uzbekistan on the orders of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency due to security concerns after the country declared war on Iran.
The Israel Judo Association (IJA), widely considered the country’s most successful Olympic sports program, has been forced to pull out of the Tashkent Grand Slam and leave Uzbekistan, as tensions rise amid the Israeli attack on Iran and the subsequent Iranian counterattack, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Recent strikes between Israel and Iran have led to disruptions to both countries’ sports teams.
Israeli national gymnastics team suspended all team practices and activities amid the recent Iranian counterattack against the country following U.S.-backed strikes against Iran.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
THE Israeli Gymnastics Federation (IGF) provided a statement to PK Press Club Digital announcing that the violence had caused “unavoidable disruption.”
“The current security situation in our region has led to unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the professional plans of the national teams, especially as we are at the start of the international season,” the statement said.
“At this time, all training activities have been temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations,” the statement continued. “Of course, the suspension of training and the closure of airspace causes considerable stress and worry. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remains our top priority. We sincerely look forward to safer and calmer days, when we can concentrate solely on the sport.”
A source within the team told PK Press Club Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts had been moving between bomb shelters since the Iranian counterattacks began.
Meanwhile, the president of the Islamic Football Federation of Iran, Mehdi Taj, has suggested that his team will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“What is certain is that after this attack we cannot look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 on Sunday. “The American regime has attacked our homeland, and this is an incident that will not go unanswered.”
“Tomorrow we will take care of the football games. Tonight we celebrate their opportunity for freedom,” said Andrew Guiliani, director of the club. White House World Cup Working Group, wrote on X on Saturday.
FIFA also said it would monitor the situation with Iran.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has ordered all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue to shelter in place, either in or near their residences, as Iran continues to shoot missiles on Israel.
Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday as Tehran’s latest barrage of missiles landed a few kilometers from Jerusalem.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
The Iranian army led counterattacks against Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East after a joint U.S.-Israeli strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah. Ali Khamenei SATURDAY.
The strikes also killed several other senior Iranian leaders, including the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
