(Jerusalem Post) Chanan Weissman and Gila Fine - The Jordanian Fencing Federation (JFF) on Thursday succumbed to intense pressure by the Jordanian government, granting Israeli fencers Tomer Or and Ayelet Ohayon permission to compete in this weekend's World Fencing Championships in Aqaba. The Israelis were informed Wednesday that they could not enter the competition, but may come as spectators. International organizers threatened the JFF that if the Israeli squad did not receive permission to compete, the entire competition would be nullified. Dr. Vladimir Shklar, head of the Israeli fencing delegation, said they saw all the participating nations' flags flying outside the gymnasium and asked to fly the Israeli flag. The Jordanian organizers refused to do it, so before hundreds of Arab spectators, Shklar and fencer Tomer Or climbed up the pole, and hoisted the Israeli flag alongside the flags of all the other nations. Due to security precautions, the Israeli delegation will spend their nights in an Eilat hotel, returning to Aqaba each day for the competition.
2004-01-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive