FRANCE – Former French basketball player Emilie Gomez has said her exclusion from the athletes’ commission for the 2024 Paris Olympics was “for her support for the Palestinian people” and not for “anti-Semitism or advocacy of terrorism”.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Gomez explained what she went through during her dismissal from the position of “Olympic Ambassador” and the pressures faced by those who criticize Israel and support Palestine in France.
Regarding hosting the Palestinian group that arrived in Paris on July 25 at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, she said: “I continue to support Palestine. This is a humanitarian issue, an issue of recognizing a people that must have sovereignty.”
“Athletes should stand up for just causes,” Gomez said.
“This is not about Gaza or religion, this is about defending international law. We are more than just champions, we are not just athletes,” she added.
She pointed out that the International Olympic Committee is not taking any steps against Israeli athletes despite imposing sanctions on Russian athletes.
“This is hypocrisy. We don’t understand why Israel doesn’t respect the rules,” she said, criticizing double standards toward Israel during the Olympics.
She added: “We are not asking Israeli athletes not to participate in the Olympic Games, but we want them to participate with a neutral flag.”
She continued: “A country that committed genocide cannot come to the Olympics with its flag and anthem.”
Gomez shared a post on her personal Instagram account that included maps of France from the years 1947, 1967 and 2023, in which the tricolor flag covering French territory was gradually replaced by the Israeli flag, with this question: “What would you do in this situation?”
Although the former international player (194 international matches) apologized and removed the post the next day, she faced widespread criticism and was accused of anti-Semitism.
Anatolia
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2024-07-30 20:23:12
