Malaysia loses hosting rights for the world swimming championships for people with disabilities, a qualifying event for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Copyright: U.S. Department of State from United States [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Today it was announced that Malaysia would no longer host the world swimming championships for people with disabilities due to it’s refusal to issue visas to Israeli athletes. The president of the Paralympic Committee Andrew Parsons released a statement in which he clarified that “All world championships must be open to all athletes without discrimination. When a host country boycotts athletes from any other country for political reasons, we have no choice but to look for a different venue”. Israeli Olympic committee thanked the president: “We thank the international Paralympic Committee for its courageous decision that upholds the Paralympic spirit of equality among nations without regard to race, gender, or religious affiliation”.
Last week, Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad informed the Paralympic Committee of his final decision to bar Israeli athletes from entering Malaysia for the July championships. Explaining his decision, Mohamad is quoted as saying: “We will not let them enter because it is against our laws. If we lose the right to host the championships, so be it”.
Malaysian PM is well-known for blatant anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli comments that he makes publicly at every possible opportunity.
