Tuesday, March 19th | 9 Adar II 5784

Subscribe
March 29, 2023 11:37 am
0

California Rugby Team Condemns Discrimination Against Israeli Athletes Disinvited From South African Tournament

×

avatar by Shiryn Ghermezian

The logo of the San Clemente Rhinos. Photo: Screenshot

An American rugby team that replaced Israel after the latter was disinvited from a tournament currently underway in South Africa released a statement on Saturday saying it condemns “any form of discrimination” in response to pressure from major American Jewish organizations to pull out of the competition in solidarity with the Israeli team Tel Aviv Heat.

The California-based San Clemente Rhinos wrote in an Instagram post that it “stands together with @telavivheat players and coaches,” and also “stands together with all people in sport that uphold the core values of #inclusion and #equality,” though the team has not formally withdrawn from the Mzansi Challenge. Also known as the first division of the South African Rugby Union’s (SARU) Currie Cup, the competition is taking place in South Africa with teams from Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe and six South African provinces.

The Rhinos were set to go head-to-head against the South African rugby team The Falcons, also known as Valke, on Saturday in round one of the Mzansi Challenge but the game was cancelled “because of player eligibility concerns,” the South Africa (SA) Rugby explained.

The Falcons reportedly pulled out of the game after it was announced that the Rhinos entered in a partnership with the South African rugby club Naka Bulls that would enable 18 athletes from the latter team to play for the Rhinos in Saturday’s game. SA Rugby added that it is “investigating the circumstances and will follow the applicable disciplinary processes that may arise once all information has been gathered.” The rugby news website Rugby365.com additionally reported that other rugby teams have since “expressed their unwillingness to play against the Naka-loaded Rhinos” in the Mzansi Challenge.

On Feb. 3, without first notifying Tel Aviv Heat, SARU announced that it was disinviting the Israeli team from the Mzansi Challenge after listening “to the opinions of important stakeholder groups” and deciding on the team’s exclusion “to avoid the likelihood of the competition becoming a source of division.” The decision was made after supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel pressured SARU to ban Tel Aviv Heat from the Mzansi Challenge.

The coach of Tel Aviv Heat, Kevin Musikanth, was born in South Africa and the team includes a number of South African players. The Israeli team launched a “Bridges Through Rugby” program after its invitation from the Mzansi Challenge was rescinded and in the program’s description it quotes former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela, who said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”

When SARU announced that the Rhinos were invited to compete in the Mzansi Challenge instead of Tel Aviv Heat, it described the team’s participation as “a partnership between the Mexican Rugby Union and Rhino Rugby, the official national development program of USA Rugby.” Before the tournament began, 12 Jewish organizations in the US wrote a letter to the Rhinos, asking the team to denounce the discrimination against the Tel Aviv-based athletes and withdraw from the Mzansi Challenge.

The Jewish groups joined a long list of others who have spoken out and taken legal measures against the exclusion of the Israeli rugby team from an international competition, including the Israel-based International Legal Forum, the Jewish group South African Friends of Israel, UK Lawyers for Israel, the Israel Rugby Union, an Israeli rugby coach and a New Zealand-based lawyer.

The Rhinos are set to play their next game in the Mzansi Challenge on April 7 against the SWD Eagles in round three of the competition, but it remains unclear if the match will still take place. The team did not respond to The Algemeiner’s request for comment.

Share this Story: Share On Facebook Share On Twitter

Let your voice be heard!

Join the Algemeiner

Algemeiner.com

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.