Belgian frisbee tournament for teenagers blocks Israeli team to avoid ‘risk of disorder’

Writing to the city council of Ghent, which was due to host the games, two local groups, Palestina Solidariteit and Intal Globalize Solidarity België, insisted that “concerned parents” wished Israel to be barred from the competition.

On Tuesday, a letter from the sporting bodies organising the tournament, the European Ultimate Federation (EUF) and the European Flying Disc Federation (EFEF) announced that the Israeli delegation would be blocked from participating in and appearing at the tournament.

No person would be allowed to reference the Israel-Palestine conflict, it added.

"Decisions were based on authorities holding concerns of high-risk disturbance of public order, a significant threat and the inability to guarantee safety at the event if all teams were to participate as planned,” the statement added.

“EUF and EFDF recognise [the] situation is disappointing and unfortunate and we know that all players have come to Ghent to focus on playing Ultimate Frisbee, to make new friends and to create memories to last a lifetime.

“We ask each and every participant, our Ultimate Community and all supporters to respect this decision and to show good spirit both to promote youth development within sport.”

The tournament, minus the Israeli players, would resume on Wednesday, it concluded.

The mayor of Ghent, said the decision had been taken to avoid the risk of disorder.

“From the previous overview, it is undeniably clear that there is a very real possibility of actions occurring if an Israeli team participates in a European championship, with all the associated consequences,” he said.

“Considering this, it is evident that public order and the safety of spectators and participants cannot be guaranteed if the tournament were to take place at Blaarmeersen in the presence of an Israeli delegation.

Lieve Van Lancker, acting mayor of De Pinte, added: “We strongly condemn this vandalism and will do everything we can to help identify the perpetrators.

“However, given these facts, our local police also consider that there are too many uncertain factors to guarantee the safety of those present during the sports tournament on our territory.”

Elias Ben Zion, CEO of the Israeli Association of Frisbee, told the European Jewish Press: “We are currently in Belgium after receiving a message informing us that our participation in the European Championship, which is starting right now, has been banned due to local antisemitism.”

Addressing Europe’s Jewish community, he said: “We need you on our side in the fight against antisemitism.”

Several weeks before the championship, he said, “we received a message saying that the mayor of Ghent refuses to let us take part in the tournament and threatens to cancel the entire tournament if Israel takes part.’’

But, Zion said, the Israeli Association of Frisbee had refused to skip the event.

“About two weeks before the flight, the tournament organisers informed us that we would find an alternative field, detached and away from the general championship complex, where Israel could play, but the condition of participation was that the Israeli delegation would not be able to take part in the opening ceremony and any championship social events,” he said.

After their expulsion from the games, the official claimed, the 33 Israeli would-be participants were stuck in Belgium without flights home booked due to rising tensions in the Middle East.

Zion added: “It makes no sense for 15-year-old players to be prevented from playing the sport they love so much because of cheap politics and antisemitism.”