Israeli Frisbee Team Banned After Antisemitic Graffiti Found

A group of Israeli teen Ultimate Frisbee players faced an unexpected ban from an international competition in Belgium last week after antisemitic graffiti was discovered near their playing field. The team, which had traveled thousands of miles in preparation for the tournament, was informed by the tournament director just before their inaugural games that someone had spray-painted the message “Boycott Israhell now!” nearby. This incident prompted local authorities, including the city’s mayor and police, to intervene and prohibit the team from participating. The local officials cited safety concerns as the reason for the ban, claiming that the open nature of the fields made it impossible to ensure the team's security. Coach Bankirer expressed his disappointment, stating that the team had dedicated three years to prepare for this tournament. He recounted the heartbreaking moment when he had to inform the 33 young players that they could not compete due to their nationality, leaving them devastated. Coach Ben David described the emotional toll of delivering the news, emphasizing the pain of seeing the kids' disappointment. He noted that there had been no prior issues at the tournament, raising questions about the decision to exclude the team. Despite appeals to both tournament organizers and local officials, the coaches received no resolution, with the European Ultimate Federation attributing the decision to the city’s actions, leaving the team feeling abandoned and unsupported.