Lebanese chess player refuses to compete with Israeli rival at Abu Dhabi International Championship

Israel has yet again been snubbed at sporting events, with a young Lebanese chess player deciding to withdraw from the 28th Abu Dhabi Chess Festival in the United Arab Emirates to avoid facing an Israeli opponent.

Junior Lebanese chess champion Nadia Fawaz has decided to withdraw from the fourth round in the UAE capital after a draw pitted her against players from the Israeli regime.

Fawaz defeated Ziad Saleh Abdali of Saudi Arabia after her first encounter with Wafa Yacoub from Brunei. The Lebanese player then defeated UAE player Wafia Darwish al-Maamari to advance to the next match.

The chess player said she refused to compete with Israeli players during the Abu Dhabi tournament because Israel is the enemy.

The girl added that she took the move in solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian nation and condemned attempts by some Arab countries to normalize full diplomatic relations with the Tel Aviv regime.

The 28th Abu Dhabi Chess Festival kicked off in the UAE on August 16 and ended on August 25.

Just a few days ago, a young Lebanese MMA fighter announced his withdrawal from the 2022 Youth International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) World Championships in the UAE to avoid facing an Israeli opponent in international competition.

Lebanon’s Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network reported on August 18 that Charbel Abou Daher withdrew from sporting events in Abu Dhabi after a draw against Israeli rival Yonatan Mak in the Youth B 48kg category.

Earlier this month, Iraqi tennis stars Nasr Mahdi and Mohammad al-Mahdi withdrew from the 2022 Bucharest Wheelchair Open in Romania to avoid playing against their Israeli rivals.

Majid al-Ugaili, president of the Iraqi Tennis Federation, announced in a statement on Aug. 11 that the results of the draw put them on a mathematical path to pairing with Israel. The Iraqi seed team then decided to withdraw from the competition.

As early as July 31, the Palestinian Information Center reported that Jordanian taekwondo player Maysir al-Dahamsheh avoided a confrontation with his Israeli opponent at the 2022 World Taekwondo Cadet and Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

A Jordanian taekwondo fighter withdrew from the competition in protest at the normalization of relations with Israel in some Arab countries and failed to win the bronze medal in the competition.

In recent years, a growing number of athletes from Arab and Muslim countries have avoided facing Israeli opponents in international competitions in support of the Palestinian cause.

They see the participation of Israeli athletes in sporting events as a plan to help the Tel Aviv regime gradually normalize relations with Muslim and Arab states, despite its brutal occupation of Palestine and its ruthless crimes against Palestinians.