Sudanese judoka second to withdraw from Olympics prior to Israeli fight

Another Arab judoka has pulled out of a Tokyo Olympics' bout prior to facing an Israeli opponent in the 73kg competition.

Sudanese competitor Mohamed Abdalrasool did not attend his scheduled fight with Tohar Butbul, according to Olympic officials, The Guardian reported on Monday.

This decision by Abdalrasool to forfeit the match comes after he went through the weigh-in process for the Monday round of 32 fight.

Abdalrasool didn't make a public statement about his decision, but Butbul said his team was told the Sudanese judoka had a shoulder injury, although the Israeli and his team were not convinced by this.

The International Judo Federation didn't release a statement straight away on Abdalrasool's withdrawal, nor did Sudan's Olympic setup, according to The Guardian.

Previously, Algeria's Fetih Nourine withdrew from the Games on Saturday when he learned he would meet Butbul if he advanced to the second round Monday.

Nourine explicitly cited his support for Palestinians for his decision not to fight an Israeli contender.

This article is part of The New Arab's special coverage of the Tokyo Olympics. Click here to read the whole series.