Kuwaiti tennis player Muhammad Al-Awadi, 14, has withdrawn on Friday from an international tennis tournament held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to avoid facing an Israeli opponent, Palestinian, Arab, and Middle Eastern news sources news reported.
According to the Qatari newspaper Al Watan, Al-Awadi had qualified for the semi-finals of the international championship for professionals under the age of 14, held in Dubai. However, he pulled out of the tournament when he learned that he had to face an Israeli counterpart.
14-year-old Kuwaiti tennis player Muhammad al-Awadi has withdrawn from a semi-final international championship rejecting to play against an Israeli player.#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/8YL7qrhJR7
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 22, 2022
Osama al-Shaheen, a member of Kuwait’s parliament, tweeted, “Greetings and thanks to the Kuwaiti hero Muhammad al-Awadi for his refusal to normalize sports competition with the Zionists.”
Yusuf al-Sanad, a member of the Persian Gulf Scholars Union, also wrote on Twitter that the Kuwaiti competitor announced his withdrawal from the competition in solidarity with the people of Palestine and in rejection of Israeli apartheid, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
Well done Mohammed, you are showing the way to the older generation in the Gulf