Israel’s bobsleigh team was disqualified Saturday from the final day of competition at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, following a scandal involving one of the athletes falsely claiming illness in an attempt to allow a substitute to compete in his place, Israeli media reported Sunday.
According to reports, the team requested the substitution despite the fact that Olympic rules permit athlete replacements only in cases of injury or illness. To facilitate the switch, one athlete falsely declared himself unwell and obtained a medical certificate stating he was unfit to compete.
However, before the request was submitted to international officials, the athlete confessed to the delegation’s management that he had fabricated the illness and was fully capable of competing.
“The Israeli delegation received information that members of the Israeli bobsleigh team sought to replace one of the participants in an inappropriate manner, violating the standards expected of Olympic athletes and the core Olympic values,” read a statement by the Israel Olympic Committee. “As a result, the decision was made not to allow the bobsleigh team to participate in tomorrow’s competition.”
The statement continued, “The decision to suspend the team was made with the agreement of the athletes themselves. The Israel Olympic Committee takes any deviation from the principles of fair play seriously and will not accept behavior that is unbecoming of Olympic standards. We strongly condemn such actions in every way.”
The Israeli luge team had previously competed in two heats, finishing in last place. This marked Israel’s first-ever participation in the luge event at the Winter Olympics.
The decision to ban the team from further participation was made internally by the Israel Olympic Committee after the substitution attempt was found to violate Olympic regulations. The Israel Olympic Committee has confirmed that an investigation will take place once the team returns from the Olympics, ensuring that all protocols are followed in addressing the violation.
The disqualification follows a series of tense moments for the Israeli delegation at the Milan-Cortina games.
Last week, Swiss broadcaster RTS said it had pulled from its website the commentary on an Olympic bobsleigh run in which one reporter questioned at length the presence of an Israeli athlete in Milano Cortina because of his alleged support for Israel’s actions in the Gaza war.
The commentary on Radio Television Suisse was aired throughout one of the runs of Israelis Adam Edelman and Chen Menachem in the two-man bobsleigh event that week.