Israel Judo Association's Controversial Decision Costs Team Medals

The Israeli national judo team will compete in the World Championships in Baku starting Sunday, but will again forgo the team category. This marks a pattern since the team event's introduction in 2017, with Israel participating only once in 2022, where they secured a bronze medal. This medal, following an Olympic bronze in Tokyo 2020, salvaged the sport's reputation after a disappointing individual performance by top athletes like Peter Paltchik, Sagi Muki, and Raz Hershko.

Despite past successes in the team event, the Israeli men's team, with most athletes over 30 and facing a lack of generational turnover, has seen declining performance. In 2023, then-men's coach Oren Smadja opted out of the team competition at the Doha World Championships, citing concerns about potential injuries to his athletes ahead of individual events. This decision angered the women's team, led by Shani Hershko, who were in strong form. Association Chairman Moshe Ponti sided with Smadja, leading to Israel forfeiting the team competition, though individual medals were won by Inbar Lanir and Raz Hershko.

The consequence of not participating in team events is a loss of crucial ranking points. By skipping the 2023 and 2024 World Championships team events, Israel failed to accumulate points, resulting in an unfavorable seeding for the Paris 2024 Olympics. This led to an early elimination by host nation France in the round of 16.

Even after the Paris setback, the association's stance remained rigid. For the 2025 World Championships in Budapest, a reduced squad of nine judokas was registered. The official reason cited was to prevent athlete burnout, despite the potential for using judokas from lighter weight classes to fill out the team, a flexibility allowed by the rules. An insider source criticized the decision, stating, "Right now, there isn't enough depth on the team to participate in the team event. It's not good, and there aren't enough good athletes on the men's team to win even one match, unlike the women, who are very strong." The source lamented the decline from the "powerhouse" status the team once held, attributing it to the generational gap in the men's team, with the next promising generation not expected for several years.

Head coach Shani Hershko offered a different perspective for the 2025 cancellation, attributing it to a last-minute injury to Yuli Mishiner. Hershko explained that the team intended to compete and gain experience, but Mishiner's injury meant Raz Hershko would have to compete in both individual and team events consecutively, risking overexertion. He prioritized Raz Hershko's health and long-term goals, deeming the withdrawal the correct decision. However, the reality remains that Israel will again be spectators in the team tournament. True judo powerhouses like Japan, France, and Georgia consistently participate in the team event, viewing it as a strategic objective rather than a burden, a lesson Israel has yet to fully embrace.