Israel team left Tashkent due to security reasons

An unexpected incident occurred during the "Grand Slam" judo tournament taking place in Tashkent. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

The Israeli national team, following an urgent security directive, stopped their participation in the competition and immediately left Uzbekistan. This was reported by The Jerusalem Post.

According to the report, the decision was made by Israel's internal security service. The publication notes that this step coincided with heightened security concerns in the region following operations against Iran.

The Israeli delegation included Olympic silver medalist Raz Hershko and another prominent member of the national team, Gili Sharir. They had come to participate in the Tashkent "Grand Slam" competition, one of the first major events of the 2026 season.

According to The Jerusalem Post, based on the directive, the athletes and the head of the Israeli Judo Association, Moshe Ponte, were called to immediately cease participation and leave the country. The source noted that the team complied with this order and flew to one of the locations in Central Europe.

It is also mentioned that the Israeli Judo Association has not yet issued an official statement. The "Grand Slam" tournament in Tashkent is considered one of the prestigious events offering important ranking points at the beginning of the year.

According to the International Judo Federation, the 2026 Tashkent "Grand Slam" was held from February 27 to March 1, with 370 judokas from 39 countries participating. This competition is regarded as one of the key stages in the World Judo Tour calendar.

Thus, the next prestigious contest in the sports arena was not immune to the impact of geopolitical tensions. While the fight for medals continued on the Tashkent tatami, security factors once again directly influenced the decisions of some teams.