The Lebanese player, Charbel Abou Daher, has reportedly withdrawn from the 2022 Youth MMA World Championships held in Abu Dhabi to avoid playing against an Israeli opponent.
The official account of the Lebanese MMA Federation shared on their Instagram story a post written by a Lebanese news page, which stated that the decision was due to “patriotic reasons.”
Many activists on the internet showed a sense of “pride” in this decision, whereas many stated that Lebanese would be even more proud if Charbel haven’t withdrawn from the championship, as he would have won.
Previously, the Lebanese Adnan Hankir took part in the championship, where he was honored with the gold medal in the juniors category, after winning 5 matches against the most important teams in the 2022 Youth MMA World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
This is not the first the Lebanese hear such news. The judo player Aquilina Al Chayeb was also forced to lose in the Athens Junior European Cup 2022 to avoid competing against an Israeli Judo player. It was deemed that, if she did, she would be recognizing the state of Israel.
