The global squash incident in Malaysia was disrupted after Israel banned | Political Issues

Major pre-planned events in Malaysia have been canceled in the past because the country refuses to issue visas to rivals in Israel.

Malaysia’s biggest squash competition has been called off, with the governing body saying Southeast Asia has refused to issue permits to the Israeli team.

It is a recent example of many Malaysian Muslims, who have no ties to Israel, to ban players in the country.

The men’s World Team tournament was scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur from December 7, with 26 participating teams.

But the World Squash Federation (WSF) and the Malaysian Squash Association say the competition has been canceled because “it is possible that other countries may not be able to compete due to a lack of visa guarantees”.

WSF President Zena Wooldridge said match officials wanted to “persuade Malaysian officials to ensure that all participating teams, including Israel, can enter Malaysia and compete.

“It is important for the WSF that no rival country will miss the event.”

The Israeli squash group in the past has said that participating countries in a ban on Israel have closed their eyes to “racism and xenophobia”.

The decision came after the ISA filed a lawsuit against the Swiss Court of Arbitration for Sport.

WSF said the idea of ​​banning the event was also affected by the new strain of Omicron coronavirus, which fears it could affect the trip to Malaysia.

The competition was relocated to Malaysia from New Zealand earlier this year due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions, although Malaysia has not opened its borders to foreign tourists. Egypt won the final race, which took place in Washington DC in 2019.

Malaysia, where about 60 percent of the population is Malaysian, does not allow its citizens to travel to Israel or allow Israel to travel to Malaysia.

In commemoration of the International Day for the Coalition of Palestinians, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah reiterated “unwavering support and international cooperation” with the Palestinian people and called for an end to “repeated violence and atrocities against Israel”. and Palestine. ”and“ systematic oppression and racist crimes ”.

In 2019, Malaysia threatened to deny Israeli athletes’ visas to the World Para Swimming Championships and was denied the right to participate in the event.

And in 2015, Israeli sailors withdrew from competition on the island of Langkawi after being denied visas.