Ehud Vaks

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Ehud (Udi) Vaks (born June 27, 1979 ) is an Israeli judoka .

Vaks celebrated his first international success in 2000 by winning the A tournament in Minsk and second place at the A tournament in Leonding, Austria . In 2001 he reached a third place at the A tournament in Sofia . He achieved the same placement in 2003 at the A tournament in Tbilisi . In 2004 Vaks won the second tournament of his career in Tbilisi.

At the Olympic Games in Athens , Vaks was at the center of a political scandal. In the half-light weight category, the weight class up to 66 kilograms, the draw stipulated that Vaks had to face two-time Iranian judo world champion Ārash Miresmāeli in the first round .

Miresmaeili then declared that he would not run against Vaks in order to express his sympathy for the Palestinian people.

This statement met with heavy criticism in the run-up to the games. Nevertheless, Miresmaeili was allowed to lead the Iranian Olympic team as the flag bearer during the opening ceremony when the athletes marched in. On August 14, 2004, Miresmaeili withdrew his threat of boycott. However, he was not admitted to the competitions because the next day he exceeded the weight limit of 66 kilograms at the official weighing.

It has been widely believed that Miresmaeili deliberately provoked disqualification. Speaking to the press, Miresmaeili said: “Although I trained for months and was in good shape, I refused to face my Israeli opponent to express my sympathy for the suffering of the Palestinian people. And I'm not at all dismayed. "

Comments from Iranian politicians supported this stance. The Iranian state news agency quoted Iranian President Mohammad Chatemi as saying that Miresmaeili's behavior would "find its way into the history of Iranian acts of glory" and that the Iranian people would consider him "the winner of the 2004 Olympic Games".

Due to Miresmaeili's disqualification, Vaks got into the second round without a fight. There he was defeated by the Algerian Amar Meridja .

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personal data
SURNAME Vaks, Ehud
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Vaks, Udi (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Israeli judoka
DATE OF BIRTH June 27, 1979