Israeli youth ultimate frisbee teams were banned from participating or attending a tournament in Belgium in response to threats of protest and unrest by anti-Israel demonstrations, according to Tuesday statements by the Israeli Flying Disc Association (IFDA), the European Ultimate Federation (EUF), European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF), and the De Pinte municipality.
The Israel boys and girls teams were notified Tuesday that they would be banned from involvement in the 2024 Under 17 European Youth Ultimate Championships following a decision by De Pinte mayor Vincent Van Peteghem in response to damage and vandalism to the Moerkensheide sports park by anti-Israel activists.
“Boycott Israhell now!” was painted on the sports complex building, according to the mayor’s office.
The Israeli Foreign Affairs and Culture and Sports Ministries and the ambassador to Belgium attempted to intervene and the first day of the competition was postponed, but the final decision to ban the teams was made on Tuesday night.
The Israeli teams said that they had received a message from Ghent Mayor Mathias De Clercq threatening to cancel the entire August 6-10 tournament if Israel participated, but negotiated with tournament organizers to find an alternative venue. The deal was made on the condition that the Israeli delegation not take part in the opening ceremony and any tournament social events.
The De Pinte municipal council said that it had been decided to hold Israeli matches at the Moerkensheide sports park rather than the Blaarmeersen recreation park after a security assessment that there was a significant terrorist threat and a “high risk of public order disruption” by anti-Israel organizations. The council cited 58 anti-Israel protests, occupations, and vandalism in the Ghent area and threats by groups as evidence of the concrete problem. The Blaarmeersen facility’s layout made it vulnerable to protests, and the city noted that warm weather at the site had in the past fostered inter-group tensions.
Palestina Solidariteit and Intal Globalize Solidarity België organized a letter campaign to the Ghent city council on Sunday demanding that the Israeli team be boycotted.
“The European Flying Disc Federation sees no moral objections to Israel participating in the tournament despite the request of concerned parents to ban Israel from the competition,” the anti-Israel groups said on Instagram.
Threats of protest
After the vandalism and boycott threats, the Schelde-Leie Police said that too many factors prevented them from guaranteeing the safety of attendees and that the new venue’s grounds were also not suitable for a “scenario where large groups of activists, aiming to boycott the match, would confront participants and authorized attendees over five consecutive days.” The IFDA noted that the city determined that the police could not provide security for Israeli participation, but were able to be ordered to be stationed at the tournament to oversee compliance and prevent Israeli attendance.
“The presence and participation of the Israeli delegation in this tournament pose a threat to public order and the safety of involved participants,” according to Van Peteghem’s decision. “Due to these safety concerns, it is absolutely necessary for the organizer to exclude the Israeli delegation from the tournament.”
The tournament was also ordered to prohibit any flags, clothing, inscriptions, and pamphlets related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israeli players were stuck in Belgium because of difficulties booking flights out of the country, and are unable to leave their hotel because of the security situation.
“It doesn’t make sense that 15-year-old players can’t play the sport that they love so much because of cheap politics and antisemitism,” said the IFDA.
EUF president Andrea Furlan and EFDF president Haude Hermand said that they were disappointed that they had to announce the exclusion of the Israeli team after many attempts to ensure that all countries could participate, but had to follow the instructions of authorities and ensure the safety of all participants.
“EUF and EFDF recognize this situation is sad, disappointing, and unfortunate and we know that all players have come to Ghent to focus on playing Ultimate, to make new friends and to create memories to last a lifetime,” said the organization’s heads.