Iraq's national fencing team withdrew from the World Fencing Championship in Istanbul after being pitted against the Israeli national team, Iraq's national Iraqi News Agency reported on Friday.
"The Iraqi national team withdrew from the individual races in the World Cup fencing championship, which is taking place in Istanbul and qualifies for the Paris Olympics after the lottery pitted it against the team of the 'occupying Israeli entity,'" said the Iraqi Fencing Federation, according to the report.
"The decision to withdraw came in compliance with the law criminalizing normalization approved by the Iraqi parliament, in rejection of the occupying Israeli entity, and in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.”
Israeli fencers will compete in the team competition in the Fencing World Cup in Istanbul on Sunday. In the individual competition on Saturday, Yonatan Cohen was knocked out in the round of 32, while Yuval Shalom Freilich was knocked out in the round of 16.
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