At the European U23 fencing championships in Estonia, the Swiss team has undertaken an action that attracts a lot of international attention.
After the Swiss athletes lost the final against Israel and received their medals, they did not return to honor the Israeli anthem, an action that was interpreted as a political protest.
This act performed numerous reactions, while the Swiss media described it as a scandal, but also reacted the Federation.
“The Swiss Fencing Association has no sympathy for his team that misused the award ceremony for the political demonstration,” says the official answer of the Federation.
Swiss silver medalists return Israel to protest genocide.
Should “bring sports people together” when the team of Israel struck back? pic.twitter.com/qbgdstzrxl
– rt (@rt_com) April 27, 2025
They emphasize that athletes may have personal opinions on world events, but sporting events should not be used to express political positions.
The Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also reacted and condemned the Swiss campaign. On the other hand, the Swiss Federation congratulated the Israeli team on their success, although it announced that the athletes will have discussions with them after the athletes returned from Estonia to decide whether disciplinary measures are taken.
Israel Gold Fenk Medal. The Swiss team does not turn to the Israeli flag. An examination is underway to educate these brainless “brave”. In the video you really look like poor poor people. pic.twitter.com/xubzczlem2
– Tom Slayer 🇮🇱 🎗️ (@herodotehertzl) April 27, 2025
The action of the Swiss athletes triggered mixed reactions on social media. Some commentators have supported them and expressed admiration for their attitude, while others criticized them hard. “I found a new love and admiration for Switzerland,” wrote a comment on the X platform according to 20 minutes. /Telegraph/