The event, which was meant to symbolize international brotherhood, turned into a confrontational arena when the Israeli flag was desecrated and competitors faced hostile treatment and questionable judging decisions.
The first international MMA event by Turan Fighting organization in Baku, Azerbaijan, held on January 26, which was supposed to symbolize international brotherhood, became an arena of humiliation and discrimination against Israeli athletes. The event, intended to showcase Azerbaijan as a host of international sports, revealed a disturbing picture of hostility and antisemitism.
During the competition, which featured two Israeli athletes from Coach Hezi Rechtman's club – 24-year-old David Malka who competed against Turkish rival Salar Valizad, and Lior Yasnogorodsky who faced Uzbekistan contestant Mohammadreza Yurayev – a series of serious incidents occurred.
The promises made by the organization's founder, Vusal Azrioglu, to "put sport above politics and wars" shattered against the harsh reality on the ground. The vision of an international event combining athletes from Israel and Ukraine, and ambitious plans to hold MMA events in Israel and Dubai, were tainted by serious antisemitic incidents.
Following these events, a strongly-worded complaint letter was sent to Turan Fighting's management, detailing a series of discriminatory incidents and misconduct. The letter, also forwarded to the Israeli Foreign Ministry and both countries' embassies, describes a systematic pattern of humiliation and harassment toward Israeli athletes.
The complaint focuses on several particularly serious incidents, including desecration of the Israeli flag, questionable judging decisions, and deliberate ignorance by the judging and security staff of antisemitic behavior from the crowd. These events occurred against the backdrop of growing regional tensions and hostile atmosphere toward Israel.
Following these serious events in Baku, we approached all official bodies for response and clarification. Official inquiries were sent to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, diplomatic representatives of both countries, and the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. In our appeals, we emphasized the basic requirements for ensuring the security and dignity of Israeli athletes: an immediate and comprehensive investigation of the antisemitic incidents, taking severe disciplinary sanctions against those involved in humiliating Israeli athletes, publishing an official and unequivocal condemnation of all manifestations of discrimination and antisemitism in sports, and a tangible commitment to prevent the recurrence of these disgraceful events in the future.
Turan Fighting organization is required to provide an immediate response and clear statement regarding these serious events. Until now, no official response has been received from any of the bodies we approached (their silence raises pointed questions about their commitment to international sports values and the fight against antisemitism).
Moreover, the disturbing events in the arena took a dramatic turn when the Israelis, who demonstrated clear professional superiority and achieved obvious victories, were shocked to discover that the judges declared their defeat in puzzling and inexplicable decisions. Although the fights were recorded on cameras and the Israeli athletes' victories were apparent to all, the judges chose to ignore the reality in the arena. When the Israeli athletes tried to inquire about these surprising decisions, they encountered a wall of silence and dismissal from the judging staff.
Furthermore, the judges refrained from taking disciplinary actions against competitors who displayed blatant antisemitic behavior, despite this being required by sports rules and professional ethics. This conduct raises serious concerns about judging objectivity and indicates a worrying pattern of deliberate discrimination.
The event raises significant questions about the future of sports cooperation between Israel and Azerbaijan. Turan Fighting organization's ambitious plans to hold events in Israel and Dubai now seem more distant than ever. The events in Baku emphasize the urgent need for tighter supervision of international sports events and protection of athletes from discrimination based on nationality or religion. This incident joins a series of similar cases that have occurred in recent years in the global sports arena.
The events of this shameful evening raise fundamental issues regarding host countries' responsibility to ensure the security and dignity of athletes of all nationalities and religions. The conduct of Azerbaijani authorities around this serious affair may cast a heavy shadow on the country's future ability to host international sports competitions. In the modern era, where sports should bridge between nations and cultures, there is no place for manifestations of antisemitism and racism.
The public in Israel anxiously awaits official responses from the Foreign Ministries of Israel and Azerbaijan to these serious events, as there is no place for hatred of Jews and discrimination based on religion and nationality in the international sports arena.
