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Kuwaiti Muslim jiu-jitsu champion refuses Israeli athlete’s handshake: ‘We do not respect them at all’
Kuwaiti jiu-jitsu gold medalist Jassim Alhatem refused to shake Israeli bronze medalist Yoav Manor’s hand during a medal ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Friday. Alhatem later defended the snub in an Arabic-language video circulating on social media with English translations in which he said “Zionist entity” when referring to Israel and added that Muslim men “must have a principle.”
Manor won bronze in the men’s blue belt amateur under-77kg division at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour, an Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro (AJP) event, after winning three of his four bouts, according to the AJP’s official results. Alhatem won all four of his matches to claim gold in the division.
But the podium ceremony quickly turned tense.
Alhatem refused to shake Manor’s hand and declined to participate in the traditional winners’ photo with him. Members of the Israeli delegation who were nearby told Ynet News that Alhatem said, “You Israelis kill children,” and added that he would not have competed against Manor if the Israeli athlete had reached the final.
Alhatem defended the moment, claiming Manor had tried to make himself look like the victim by offering a handshake on camera.
“Even though I had spoken to him before the podium and told him, ‘I don’t want to know you, and I don’t want to greet you. Stay on your side, and I’ll stay on my side, so [there would be] no problem,’” Alhatem said.
Alhatem made it clear he did not view the exchange as a normal sportsmanship moment.
“We do not play with these types. We do not respect these types,” Alhatem said.
Then he took it a step further.
“As Kuwaitis, we do not respect them at all,” he said.
So much for keeping politics out of sports.
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Alhatem said he does not buy the argument that athletes should separate international competition from world affairs. In fact, he suggested Muslim athletes have a responsibility to do the opposite.
“The last thing, guys, advice from a brother: have a principle,” he said. “You, as a Muslim man, must have a principle.”
He added, “Even if you tell me sports is separate from politics — no, no. There is no separation. If that were true, Russia wouldn’t be banned right now from participating in the Olympics.”
The IOC allows some Russian athletes to compete as neutrals under specific conditions, while Russia is not represented as Russia.
Manor, meanwhile, kept his composure.
The Israeli delegation said in a statement to Ynet that “despite the tension, the organizers and Emirati hosts tried to calm the situation and persuade the Kuwaiti competitor to take part in the medal ceremony, but he chose to leave the podium area. Manor, for his part, remained focused on the sporting achievement: a bronze medal at a prestigious international competition, after an impressive day of bouts against opponents from around the world.”
Amir Boaron, coach of Israel’s national jiu-jitsu team, also told the outlet that Manor continued trying to shake Alhatem’s hand and “behave like an athlete.” Arik Kaplan, president and CEO of Ayelet (Israel’s federation for non-Olympic sports), praised Manor for showing “character, restraint and values.”
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OutKick reached out to the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, the AJP Tour and Alhatem for comment but did not receive a response by publication.
International sports revolve around the idea that healthy competition brings people of all backgrounds together. In this case, though, that couldn’t be further from reality.
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High school athlete slams CIF’s shared podium rule as humiliating response that fails female competitors
AB Hernandez, a trans athlete (biological male), spent another weekend dominating girls’ track and field competition, winning first place in the high jump, long jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section finals on Saturday (as reported by Fox News Digital’s Jackson Thompson).
Appearing on America’s Newsroom, Crean Lutheran High School girls’ track and field athlete Olivia Viola addressed CIF’s ongoing neglect of female athletes’ calls to oust boys from competition, including AB Hernandez.
Dana Perino spoke with Olivia and her mother:
“Olivia, sorry for what you’re going through. Riley Gaines posted this: ‘If you have to create a shared podium for the boy competing in the girls’ event, you’ve already admitted you know he isn’t a girl and that his participation is unfair. At that point, you’re just seeking a public humiliation ritual for the girls.'”
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The high school athlete responded, emphasizing that the CIF’s co-champion rule only applies to major postseason state qualifiers.
“I would say it’s nothing but a band-aid fix from the athletic governing board. It doesn’t actually undo all of the displacements that have happened throughout their entire league. It only applies to the final CIF meets. It doesn’t apply to league, it doesn’t apply to outside meets, it doesn’t apply to other sports. It doesn’t actually fix the problem; it’s just a blanket to keep us quiet.”
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The controversy stems from the outcome of Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division finals in Moorpark, California.
Hernandez, a senior from Jurupa Valley High School, swept the postseason jumping events and defeated Crean Lutheran’s Reese Hogan in the high jump. It was the second weekend in a row that Hernandez asserted dominance over the field.
As dictated by CIF, seen as trying to appeal to both sides of the trans issue, any biological female athlete finishing directly behind a transgender competitor is automatically elevated to an identical placement.
The policy meant the top biological female finishers were designated co-champions, leading to widespread images of Hernandez sharing the top step of the medal podium with female athletes.
While CIF finds its ruling judicious, girls are calling out the blatant issue of allowing boys to compete with girls. Viola’s reaction spotlighted growing frustration among competitors who believe the ruling body is using procedural fixes to avoid addressing biological differences in girls’ sports.
The rule does not retroactively address the regular season, where female athletes across California can still be displaced in local league meets, invitationals and dual meets without any podium adjustment.
And while track and field adopted the dual-advancement and dual-medal system, the policy does not easily translate to head-to-head contact sports or other athletic competitions, creating what critics see as a glaring inconsistency across the state.
CIF maintains that its rules are bound by California Assembly Bill 1266, a 2013 law requiring schools to allow students to participate in sports programs consistent with their gender identity.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office defended the framework, calling protests against Hernandez a cynical attempt to weaponize the debate.
However, resistance from female athletes like Viola aligns with a broader federal pushback.
Following Hernandez’s dominant state titles last year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Title IX lawsuit against California’s education agencies, putting the state’s athletic policies at the center of a growing national legal battle as the track season moves toward the State Finals in Clovis.
The fight to preserve fairness in girls’ sports continues. And the case against AB continues to echo pro-women’s arguments more than anti-trans narratives.
Send us your thoughts: [email protected] / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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Tourist takes forbidden plunge at iconic landmark as visitors watch, stunned
A tourist visiting Rome drew outrage and anger on social media after he dove into the city’s famous Trevi Fountain.
The man was described by British media outlet The Telegraph as a 30-year-old visitor from New Zealand. He was filmed jumping into the historic fountain while fully clothed as crowds nearby watched.
A TikTok video of the incident, which has been viewed more than 12 million times, showed the tourist walking backward before running toward the fountain and then diving into the water.
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The man continued moving around inside the fountain even as police ordered him to get out, according to the outlet.
Authorities reportedly fined him €500, or roughly $580 — and banned him from returning to the site, the outlet noted.
The Trevi Fountain is one of Rome’s most visited landmarks. It has endured repeated instances of tourists entering the water despite strict rules and increased security measures.
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The most recent incident quickly sparked backlash online, with many commenters criticizing the tourist’s behavior as disrespectful.
“Sorry, Italian bros. Some of us missed the respecting places lesson,” one Reddit user wrote.
Another commenter added, “Obviously didn’t get the ‘when in Rome do as the Romans do’ memo.”
Others argued the punishment should have been more severe.
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“If I was the Italian authority, I would make an example out of this guy,” one user commented.
The controversy follows several similar incidents at the Trevi Fountain in recent years.
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Fox News Digital previously reported that Rome recently introduced new restrictions and fees aimed at protecting the Trevi Fountain from overcrowding and repeated tourist incidents.
Beginning in February 2026, foreign visitors have been required to pay a small entry fee to access the landmark as city officials attempt to better manage crowds and preserve the historic site.
The Trevi Fountain attracts tens of thousands of visitors daily and more than 9 million people annually, according to Rome officials.
City leaders previously said overcrowding at the fountain had become increasingly difficult to manage, particularly during peak tourism periods.
Ashley DiMella of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
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Donald Trump’s age is not receiving the same ‘scrutiny’ as Biden’s did, Atlantic writer complains
The Atlantic claimed on Monday that President Donald Trump has not received “the same kind of scrutiny” as former President Joe Biden regarding his age and stamina.
“When Donald Trump took the oath of office last January, he was the oldest president to begin a term, clocking in at 78 years and 220 days,” Jonathan Lemire began his article titled “A Different Kind of Fading President.” “He replaced the man who formerly held that title, Joe Biden, who had dropped out of the race after it became quite obvious to the entire country that he had aged too much, too quickly.”
He continued, “But as Trump himself grows older—traveling less, switching to more comfortable shoes, and seeming to nod off during meetings—his age isn’t getting the same kind of scrutiny.”
Lemire acknowledged that the Biden administration “chided” reporters who would write about the former president’s age and suggested that the initial “background” status of Biden’s age was because of White House pushback.
“Biden’s team relentlessly pushed back against worried murmurings about his age and ability to handle the responsibilities of the presidency, and, for a while, the storyline was mostly relegated to the background. Democrats who had concerns bit their tongue. The president had enough good days to allow his aides to try to dismiss the narrative as a right-wing talking point, while encouraging allies—and some in the media—to look the other way,” he wrote.
Lemire continued, “But then Biden’s deficiencies burst into the open with his faltering, confused performance in a general-election debate that was followed by a wave of recriminations and finger-pointing that continues among Democrats and journalists to this day.”
He argued that in light of Trump’s more frequent social media posts, ongoing health scandals and scaled-back domestic travels, there should be more questions regarding the president’s health as he nears his 80th birthday.
In a statement with Fox News Digital, a White House spokesperson defended Trump’s stamina and called out legacy media for covering up Biden’s “serious mental and physical decline.”
“President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and the legacy media intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Lemire for comment.
Several commentators on X criticized the piece, arguing that members of the media, including Lemire, willingly ignored Biden’s health and stamina until his 2024 debate with Trump.
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“Left out of the Left’s shameless ‘Trump is losing it’ shtick is that Trump grants the media access CONSTANTLY. The Left wants to punish him for it. They were never punished for hidin’ Biden. Well, unless you count Trump winning again,” Newsbusters executive editor Tim Graham wrote.
Outkick writer Ian Miller commented, “What scrutiny did Biden get for his age? Every time people brought up videos of his obvious, rapid mental decline, the media called it ‘cheap fakes’ or conspiracy theories. It wasn’t until the debate happened that they knew he would lose the election and decided to force him out.”
“Jonathan Lemire was sitting on set when Joe Scarborough looked directly into a camera and said ‘I’m about to tell you the truth, and F you if you can’t handle the truth. This is the best version of Biden ever.’ That was in March of 2024. Joe Biden would be out of the race 3 months later. This isn’t going to work,” conservative commentator Stephen Miller wrote.
“What color do you think the sky is on their planet?” radio host Derek Hunter remarked.
Lemire previously criticized the New York Post’s June 2024 coverage of viral videos that featured Biden appearing to wander aimlessly at a G-7 Summit during a segment on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe.” During his comments, he echoed then-White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s description of the videos as “cheap fakes.”
“That’s the problem here that the Biden campaign but also those of us in the media are going to have to grapple with between now and November because the speed of these fakes only is increasing,” Lemire said.
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