During the prestigious "Grand Slam" judo tournament in Tashkent, an unexpected situation was observed. The Israel national team suspended its participation in the tournament after urgent safety instructions 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 - Shin Bet. The publication writes that this step coincided with a period of increased security concerns in the region following Operation Roaring Lion, which began against Iran.
The Israeli delegation included Olympic silver medalist Raz Hershko and another prominent member of the national team, Gili Sharir. They arrived to participate in the Tashkent Grand Slam, one of the first major starts of the 2026 season. According to The Jerusalem Post, the athletes and Moshe Ponte, head of the Israel Judo Association, were urged to immediately suspend participation and leave the country.
According to the source, the team followed this assignment and flew to one of the destinations in Central Europe. It is also reported that the Israel Judo Association has not yet issued an official statement.
The "Grand Slam" tournament in Tashkent is truly one of the prestigious tournaments that provides 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 considered one of the important stages of the World Judo Tour calendar.
Thus, the next prestigious competition in the sports arena was not immune to the influence of geopolitical tensions. While the competition for medals continues in the Tashkent tatami, it was once again demonstrated that security factors directly influence the decisions of some teams.
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