Swiss fencers turn backs on Israeli team in protest over Gaza genocide

Athletes continue to use international sports arenas to voice opposition to Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, as global calls mount to ban Israeli teams from competitions over war crimes and genocide allegations.

In the latest act of solidarity, players from Switzerland's fencing team turned their backs on the Israeli team during the medal ceremony at the Under-23 European Fencing Championship held on Saturday in Tallinn, Estonia.

The Israeli men's team had won the gold medal, while Switzerland took silver and Italy secured bronze. However, when the Israeli national anthem was played during the podium ceremony, the Swiss fencers deliberately turned their backs in silent protest.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar condemned the action, labelling it "disrespectful", but the Swiss team’s quiet gesture was widely interpreted by many as a stand against Israel’s ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza, where over 61,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.

"Switzerland’s athletes, with their courageous act of turning away during Israel’s anthem, deserve profound respect for standing in silent solidarity with the innocent children lost to Israeli terror attacks [...]," a post on X said.

It was not the first time athletes had protested Israel's actions through sporting events. In May 2023, Iraq's national fencing team withdrew from the World Fencing Championship in Istanbul after being drawn to face the Israeli team.

The Swiss under-23 fencing team turned their back on Israeli competitors during the national anthem pic.twitter.com/OfzdClk9ED

— James Jackson (@derJamesJackson) April 27, 2025

"The Iraqi national team withdrew from the individual races in the World Cup fencing championship, which qualifies for the Paris Olympics, after the lottery pitted it against the team of the occupying Israeli entity," the Iraqi Fencing Federation said in a statement at the time.

"The decision to withdraw came in compliance with the law criminalising normalisation approved by the Iraqi parliament, and in solidarity with the Palestinian cause."

Beyond fencing, similar shows of solidarity have swept through other sports. Football fans across Europe and Latin America have regularly held up Palestinian flags during matches. Calls are growing louder for Israel to face international sporting isolation, mirroring the bans placed on Russia following its war on Ukraine.

Campaigns are intensifying to suspend Israel from major international sporting bodies, including FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, citing the systematic targeting of civilians in Gaza and the deliberate blockade of humanitarian aid.

Advocacy groups say sports cannot be separated from politics when one side uses genocide and collective punishment as tools of war.