Iraqi tennis players refuse Israel match due to 'oppression of Palestinians'

Two Iraqi tennis players withdrew on Thursday from a tournament in Romania after refusing to compete against Israeli players, reportedly due to a pan-Arab, anti-normalisation stance.

Nasr Mahdi and Muhammad al-Mahdi pulled out of their upcoming doubles match against "the Israeli occupation team" as part of the Bucharest Open Wheelchair Tennis Tournament 2022 set to begin Monday, state media site Iraqi News Agency reported.

"The championship matches pitted the Iraqi team against (Israel)…Nasr Mahdi and Muhammad Al-Mahdi, withdrew, refusing to confront the Zionist entity," the head of the Iraqi Tennis Association said.

Opponents of Israel's killings, arbitrary arrests, and home evictions of Palestinians often boycott cultural or sporting events that feature Israelis as a show of solidarity toward Palestinians.

Rights groups including Amnesty International say Israel's oppression of Palestinians amounts to "the crime of apartheid".

Iraq's parliament on 26 May unanimously passed a law criminalising any form of contact or normalisation with Israel.

The law threatens life imprisonment or even execution for anyone calling for the two countries to normalise ties.

The New Arab has contacted the International Tennis Federation to ask if plans exist to offer Mahdi and al-Mahdi alternative matches in the tournament.